Shaman of the Elemental Nations
by yurei king
Summary: A spirit finds a boy lost in his thoughts. The spirit sees his potential and chooses to train him in an art long lost to the world. With the help of his teacher the boy will rise to new heights. Will he become the next Shaman King, or will the power be too much for him?
1. Chapter 1

**Yup, another crossover, they're about the only ones I can think of that I can write and feel some sense of originality. That's kinda sad now that I think about it.**

**Anyway, the idea is Shaman King and Naruto. Naruto and some future characters will become shamans, it might be a harem, haven't decided yet .**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. By the way, I have some challenges for people if you're interested send me a PM and I'll tell you about them.**

**One last thing, just as a heads up, this and Ninja of Steel will be updated when I am struck with inspiration. This one hit me when I was stuck thinking of what to do for the next chapter of Half-Ghost Kitsune (that should be up soon by the way) and I'm already working on The Four Ride Again so just be a little patient with me and you'll get to see my next update sometime soon. It's just that work is kinda bogging me down right now.**

**On with the chapter...**

Late at night, a lone, small figure could be seen walking through the a thick forest. If one were to be in the area and see this figure, they would have seen it step into a weak stream of moonlight to reveal a rather strange sight. It was a cat, dressed in green robes with a black robe over them and a kiseru in his right hand. Two tails poked out of the back of the robes and his almond shaped eyes calmly scanned the area around him.

"I'm pretty sure I sensed a very strong energy in this area," he said, exhaling a small puff of smoke. He continued to walk until he reached a large clearing where the grass was trampled like an entire army had been there only minutes before. "Hmmmm."

The bipedal feline knelt down and placed a single paw against the dirt. "It was here, a very powerful furyoku, almost on the same level as Hao. But where could it have gone?"

The cat was distracted from his thoughts when a loud crash sounded from a short distance away. From the edge of the clearing appeared five figures, all with bright blond hair and dressed in a bright orange and blue jumpsuits. The five were locked in hand-to-hand combat, four of them appeared to be teaming up against one as he ducked and weaved between their flying fists and feet while lashing out with his own strikes.

The cat continued to watch as the battle raged on, only for his eyes to widen in surprise when the defender scored a lucky blow in one of his attacker's stomach. Instead of falling like the cat expected, the doppelganger disappeared in a small cloud of smoke. Not hesitating, the defender dodged an axe kick and drove his left fist into the face of the offender, who suffered the same fate as the last. The last two moved in from different angles, one shooting for his legs, the other his head. The boy hopped and twisted in the air, grabbing both of their wrists and redirecting the blows into their partners' stomachs.

The two vanished like ones before and the blond was left standing alone, hands on his knees as he panted and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Damn it," the blond managed to say between gasps. "I still can't think straight." He stood up and leaned back to stare at the night sky. "Kyuubi, huh?" He chuckled slightly and the cat found itself even more intrigued as it lacked any mirth and carried a hint of heavy sorrow.

The boy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. The cat quietly stepped closer and discreetly sniffed the air while the boy unzipped his jacket, threw it on the ground and sat down to once again gaze at the stars.

_'This boy carries the same scent as the area where I sensed the energy,' _ the cat thought, eyes never leaving the boy as he inhaled another dose of tobacco smoke. His eyes narrowed as he reached out with his spiritual energy, only to stumble back in shock once he connected with the boy's. _'By the great spirit, he almost has the same level as Hao-sama once possessed!'_

The gasp that escaped the cat alerted the source of his surprise and the boy was instantly on his feet, knife in hand. The paused there, staring at each other, one in interest, the other in suspicion and then the cat opened its mouth.

"I apologize for startling you. I give you my word I mean you no harm."

The boy snorted. "Yeah, I've heard that before."

"You are most strange," the two-tailed cat observed, exhaling another small cloud of smoke. "Most humans would probably run from me shouting some kind of demon nonsense, you are the first one in quite a while to take it without any problems."

The boy just shrugged. "I've seen a few shinobi summon talking animals before, but you _are _the first one I've seen that smokes."

Nodding in acceptance, the cat decided to be the first to make a friendly gesture and sat down, crossing his legs. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Matamune, ancient servant to the Asakura family and now a simple wandering spirit in search of my next purpose."

The boy didn't move for a few more moments, before shrugging again and returning the blade to the holster on his leg. "Naruto Uzumaki," he said, sitting down as well. "Newly appointed genin of Konohagakure. What brings you here Matamune?"

"I was traveling through the forest and I sensed a very potent energy coming from this area. I came to investigate and happened across your little battle here. By the way, why did your attackers look so similar to you?"

"There called Kage Bunshin. It's a technique that makes copies of me, I've been training with them to get stronger."

"May I ask why you desire to be stronger?"

Naruto looked up at the sky once more, contemplating the best way to answer the question. "I wanted to become the Hokage," he finally said. "But after I learned something I'm more interested in just being strong enough to protect the people who've acknowledged me as a person and not some thing to be scorned and hated."

"So you fight to protect?" Naruto nodded. "Interesting, I once served a young man who fought to protect the people important to him. He could always look at someone and find that one glimmer of good in their hearts even they thought was gone."

"What was his name?"

"Yoh Asakura, heir to the Asakura family, and twin brother to my former master."

"Your masters sound like some pretty cool guys."

"Yes they were both exceptional individuals. Both were also very powerful shamans, the likes of which haven't been seen in a long time."

"Shamans?"

The feline sighed. "Of course, I must apologize again. I had forgotten the ancient art of the shamans has been long forgotten. A shaman is a warrior with a very unique ability. They were capable of merging their very bodies with the spirit of another and use their skills in battle."

Naruto's eyes were wide and he was leaning forward, eagerly awaiting the rest of the explanation. Matamune could only chuckle as he saw the eagerness there.

"Once there was a traditional battle every five hundred years where all shamans would gather and battle for the title of Shaman King...and the honor of working in unity with the Great Spirit."

"Wait..Great Spirit?"

"Yes. The Great Spirit is the oldest and most powerful of the spirits. It is from it all spirits come from and, eventually, return to. The Great Spirit will only allow one shaman to wield its power, the Shaman King."

The boy was silent, thinking hard on the words of the neko. When he looked up it was with a burning curiosity. "Do you think it'd be possible for me to be a shaman?"

Matamune was the one to stay silent this time, smoking his pipe as he considered the options presented to him. "If I were to teach you...what would you do with the powers you would obtain?"

"What do you mean?"

"Would you walk the path of the protector...or the destroyer? Do you desire this power for vengeance or will you use it to help others?"

"...I'll use it to do what's right," Naruto answered, eyes blazing with passionate fire.

"And what is right?"

"I'm not perfect, but I'll help who I can and I won't use it for selfish reasons. I just want to be strong enough to protect the village and prove to everyone that I'm not a demon."

"Demon, what do you mean?"

Naruto explained his entire life to Matamune. The beatings, the stares and eventually the reason for them. By the time he finished the neko had a new respect for the child, to be so burdened, yet not hold hatred for all those who did this to him, just how strong was his will?

"Given the information you just presented, I'd say doing what is right is all I could ask of you. I must consider this carefully, give me the rest of the night. For now return to your place of residence, come back to this clearing in the morning and I should have the answer to your question."

Naruto nodded and left the clearing. Matamune waited until he could no longer sense his presence before reaching into his coat and pulling out a small memorial tablet and placing it on the ground before him. Twice more he repeated the action until three tablets stood before the smoking neko.

"Well, what do you three think?"

The middle tablet became outlined with a soft blue light and a brief cyclone of wind engulfed it. When the wind cleared, the cat looked up to see a man standing before him. His hair, colored a soft purple, was tied back in a spiked ponytail, exposing the sharp angles of his face. He was dressed in the robes of a samurai, with with red armor on his shoulders and matching gauntlets. In the sash around his waist hung a pair of katana.

"He carries much pain in his heart," the spirit said, eyes focused on the spot where Naruto had disappeared. "But I did not sense any hatred. He has the heart of a warrior and I an practically feel his potential. What do you think, Bason?"

The tablet on the right began to glow bright red before a raging red cyclone much like the samurai's appeared. From the cyclone emerged a man clad in gold-lined green armor. His helm cast a shadow over his face, leaving only the lower half of his face visible. His eyes glowed a light green from the shadow cast on his face and seemed to be locked in an eternal glare. In his left hand, the spirit grasped the shaft of a Kwan Dao

"I must agree Amidamaru," he said. Unlike the samurai, his voice as deep yet calm, Bason's voice was deep, yet harsh, almost as if he had spent a lifetime shouting orders and rubbing his vocal chords raw. "The boy has an incredible amount of latent potential just waiting to be unlocked. I would gladly become his guardian spirit and teacher."

Matamune nodded, exhaling more of his pipe smoke as he did so. "Well, that is two of you." He turned his gaze to the last of the tablets. "Do you wish to offer your opinion to this discussion before our decision is made."

Emerald light erupted form the final tablet and gathered in a ball in the air. The orb shifted and limbs grew from it followed quickly by a head. When the light faded, there stood a young man wearing a black, sleeveless top with a yin-yang symbol on the chest, black kung-fu style pants, white socks and black slip-on shoes. On his back was a holster holding his signature weapon, a pair of nunchaku. His black hair was messy, like he'd just risen from his bed and his smile was gentle.

"I agree with these two," he said. "The boy's heart is pure and strong and I believe it is time we brought our three styles to world of the living once more. Let us take this Naruto Uzumaki as our shaman. I will teach him the ways of Dǎodàn-do."

"I shall school him in the ways of the sword," Amidamaru spoke.

"And I shall teach him how to wield the Kwan Dao and military tactics as well," Bason rumbled, eyes glowing even brighter in fierce determination.

"Then it is decided," Matamune said, extinguishing his pipe and slipping it back into the folds of his robe. "We will begin training the boy tomorrow morning. But there are some things we must do first and they require a spirit's ability to remain unseen."

The three warriors turned to the ancient neko, patiently awaiting their orders. "The boy will require weapons in order to properly utilize your techniques. Bason, your time as a general has given you experience in discerning a high quality weapon with a brief glance. I want you to search the market district of this village and find where the boy will be able to purchase the best tools."

The warrior nodded and drifted away. He was eager to accomplish his mission and secure the best weapons for his new master.

"Amidamaru, I want you to find places of relaxation where our new master may go when we allow him to rest during his training. Training is all well and good, but if that is all he does then he will never truly be at peace."

Much like the warrior spirit, the samurai nodded, but he chose to walk away. It had been quite a while since he had chosen to manifest outside of the memorial tablet and he felt a strong desire to re-experience the simple beauty of the world once more.

"Lee Pyron, you're mission is two-fold. First, I want you to observe these...'shinobi' that serve as the military here. Learn what movements and techniques you can so that we can ensure that Naruto maintains his skills both as a shaman and a shinobi. Second, I want you to devise a training schedule. Divide the days evenly between you three so that he can retain the most knowledge."

The martial artist bowed. "It will be as you wish, Matamune, but may I ask what you will be doing."

Matamune turned his gaze to the skies for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts. "Negotiating."

Lee shot the neko a confused look, but simply shrugged and turned to leave. He had a mission to complete after all. Matamune left soon after, following the same path the blond that had caught his interest had taken.

_**Bason:**_

The ancient general drifted out of the wall of the third store he had visited as he sighed in disappointment. Not one had the quality he was searching for. He was about to give up hope when he spotted the soft candlelight shining in a nearby window. He searched for a sign, when he did it was an unremarkable plaque of wood nailed the front of the door. Engraved into the words were the words _"Shinobi Gear and Weapons."_

Bason decided to try one last time and floated through the door to find a room filled with the beauty that can only be found in an armory of the finest of weapons. The wall was lined with every weapon he could think of and there were racks of clothing to fit whatever style a shopper could think of.

Just to the right sat a counter with a register on top of it. It was at this counter that Bason saw a young girl, close to his new master in age, polishing the blade of a beautiful sword by flickering light of a candle. The girl was dressed in a pink, Chinese-styled shirt, green pants and blue sandals. Her dark brown hair was tied up in twin buns and her chocolate brown eyes were focused on the task at hand.

Bason was confused at the expression on her face. For someone so young to look so conflicted, what could have happened. In time the polishing was finished and the girl returned it to its scabbard and placed it on the stand behind her. Still, the expression remained, that was when a woman walked out of a doorway just to her right. The woman has a thing of beauty, long, raven-black hair and dressed in a pink short kimono that left entirely too little to the imagination. Her expression appeared to be one of complete indifference, but the general could tell she was troubled.

"Tenten, what's wrong?" The woman's voice was soft and concerned.

"Mother...what do you think of Naruto Uzumaki?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do...do you...do you hate him?"

"Of course not Tenten. Why are you asking me this?"

The girl became nervous, fidgeting with her hands and not meeting her mother's eye. "I-I overheard something earlier tonight. I was in the forest for a little extra training when I heard fighting and yelling. When I went to investigate I heard Mizuki-sensei saying Naruto was the Kyuubi reincarnated."

The woman gasped and instantly grabbed the girl by her shoulders. "Listen to me Tenten! Naruto is NOT a demon. He's a hero, he holds the Kyuubi prisoner and keeps it from wreaking havoc on this pathetic village. The civilians fear what they don't understand and if Naruto ever learns to wield the fox's power as his own then he would become virtually unstoppable. Tenten, please don't believe what Mizuki said, he was a fool and will pay for his betrayal."

"I don't see him as a demon mother," Tenten said. "I...I want to help him."

"Then be patient. He will come to this store someday, seeking supplies. When he does, offer to help train with him, be his friend, that is what he needs the most right now."

Tenten hugged her mother and they shared a tender moment. "Now, off to bed with you. Knowing your sensei you'll have some rather excessive training plan sometime in the next couple of days so you had best get what rest you can."

Seeing that there was nothing left to observe, Bason left the shop and made his way back to the clearing. He had found the perfect place for Naruto-dono to acquire his weapons.

_**Amidamaru**_

The samurai had been wandering the village for close to an hour now and he was rather satisfied with what he had found. Two tea houses possessed a very calming atmosphere and one even had a place to play shogi, a game that relied on strategy. _'I should point Bason in that direction,' _he thought, '_it would be good training for Naruto-dono.' _His final stop was a hot springs he had heard some civilians talking about.

Hot springs were a perfect way to ease the muscles after a long day of training and the atmosphere was usually good to ease nerves as well. As he drifted closer, he saw two women walking out of the doors. The first had hair as black as a raven's wings and bright crimson eyes that all but glowed in the dim light. Her clothing consisted of what appeared to be bandages with a mesh underneath and a red sleeve on her right arm. The second was dressed in a much more revealing outfit consisting of a tan trench coat over a mesh top, and orange miniskirt, mesh shorts and black sandals. Her purple hair was tied back in a ponytail that reminded the samurai of a pineapple.

He was about to head past them when he heard the subject of their conversation. "Did you hear what that Uzumaki kid did?" the scantily clad one asked.

"You mean stealing the Forbidden Scroll, Anko everyone Chunin and higher knows about that."

"No Kurenai, I'm talking about what happened after that."

"What do you mean?"

"Apparently he was tricked by that Mizuki guy into stealing it for him. When Iruka caught him it started a big fight and Uzumaki is rumored to have used a B-ranked kinjutsu to stop the traitor and the ANBU found him beaten to a bloody pulp!"

"A B-ranked jutsu? From the Forbidden Scroll? Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?"

"Hey I'm just passing on what I heard so don't shoot the messenger. But if those rumors are true that kid is a potential gold mine in the shinobi world."

"What do you mean?"

"Learning to use a B-rank in only a couple of hours? With his natural reserves plus that of his little friend the kid's a walking chakra battery!"

_'Apparently Naruto-dono is more popular than I had believed,' _Amidamaru thought, turning to return to the clearing. _'Perhaps we may be able to use this to our advantage.'_ He had found three good places for his new master to relax, his mission was complete.

_**Matamune**_

The ancient spirit stood over the sleeping form of his newest master. He was here to meet with a powerful entity, standing on even ground with the mighty Spirit of Fire who once served Hao in the Shaman Tournament. The neko would have preferred not to deal with the beast, but he knew the only way the boy would be able to become a shaman was if the beast allowed a spirit to inhabit his body.

Sighing, Matamune changed into a spirit ball and plunged himself into the seal on Naruto's belly. When he reformed it was to find himself inside of a dimly lit chamber. Dirty water covered the floor and in the wall in front of him stood a pair of massive barred doors held closed by a piece of paper marked with the kanji for 'seal.'

Behind these bars was a vast room, so large he could not see the far wall or the ceiling. From this dark room he could hear the heavy breathing of the large beast held within. As he quietly stared through the bars, a single eye, colored a shade of red that reminded the neko of freshly spilled blood with a slit pupil, opened and glared at the spirit.

"You must be the Kyuubi I have heard so much about," Matamune said, withdrawing his pipe and lighting a fresh batch of tobacco. He sat on the wet ground, smoking as he waited for the fox to answer.

"**And you are Matamune," **the fox said, voice as loud as a rockslide and filled with such power it shook the very walls. **"If the little kit's memories are anything to go by. Why have you come here?"**

"I have come, because I know you have the ability to make it difficult for the boy to become a shaman."

"**So you are here to subdue me?"**

"No. I have come to strike a bargain. I am aware that you are uncomfortable in this cell and I am also aware of a way to give you a certain measure of freedom."

"**What do you mean?" **the Kyuubi asked, both eyes now open and glaring at the the calmly smoking nekomata.

"Shamans were known to use the spirits of beasts as well as the spirits of humans. I believe you and the boy will make a powerful team."

The fox pondered the spirit's offer. It was a chance at freedom after years of containment, but he would also have to serve as the child's puppet and he did not like the sound of that.

"**Give up imprisonment to instead have a bit put in my mouth and forced to serve. You're offer does not sound very enticing nekomata."**

"You misunderstand. I said team, as in you will be on equal terms. Search the boy's heart Kyuubi, you have been with him since before he could even begin to understand the world around him. Do you truly believe he will try to make you his pet?"

"**...You give your word I will not be enslaved?" **Matamune nodded. **"How long before you can arrange a meeting?"**

"It will take some time. The boy has a tremendous amount of power but he does not know how to use it. He must learn to harness the power and be able to perform 100% unity with a partner spirit before he is capable of withstanding your power."

"**The kit has just recently become what the humans call a genin. He has a month before he must report back to his academy to be placed on a team."**

"Then we will use that time for training. By any chance do you know where he could acquire the money to afford a new set of clothes and weapons of high quality."

"**The monkey running the village, he has a soft spot for the kit. Plus with current events the kit has the chance for a major guilt trip to get the monkey to help."**

"Very well," Matamune rose from his seated position and turned to leave. "I will bring the boy here to meet with you when the month draws to a close. We can arrange the terms for your partnership then. Until then, farewell Kyuubi."

The neko once more became a spirit ball and shot off into the darkness. Behind the bars of his cage the Kyuubi curled up on the floor, preparing for a long nap.

"**I will await your coming, farewell...Matamune."**

**XXXXXXX**

**Alright, what did you think?**

**Once again I owe Kamen Rider a big THANK YOU for getting my thoughts in order. I couldn't focus on the ones I'd written cuz this one was nagging me.**

**Suggestions for pairings and your opinion on whether or not to make it a harem will be appreciated, send me a PM with your choice and please include a valid reason other than "I want you to" or "You've done it in the others." **

**Also, who else should learn to become a shaman? What other spirits should I bring back from Shaman King? And finally, have a great day.**

**Yurei King signing out!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, chapter two of the Shaman of the Elemental Nations.**

**So far here the suggestions for making it a Harem I've gotten:**

**femHaku**

**Tenten**

**Anko**

**Jun Tao**

**Keep em coming now...on with the chapter cuz I got nothing else to add other than thanks for the reviews and thanks to Kamen Rider Arashi for once again helping with my writing:**

**Ch. 2...BEGIN**

"Welcome Naruto-dono," Matamune spoke, never rising from his meditative position in the middle of the clearing.

From his hiding place in the trees, Naruto stared in confusion. The blond dropped to the forest floor and walked toward the smoking nekomata. "How'd you know I was here? You're eyes aren't even open."

The cat chuckled as he exhaled a small cloud of smoke. "I can sense your spiritual power. I've known where you were since you left the village. It appears control will be one of the first things I will have to teach you."

"S-so you really are going to teach me?" Naruto could barely hold in his excitement.

"Not just me, Naruto-dono." Matamune rose from his seat and faced his newest pupil. As he exhaled yet another bit of smoke, the three spirits from the night before materialized behind him. "We all will be teaching you our own unique style of combat."

Amidamaru stepped forward and bowed to the orange-clad blond. "Greetings, Naruto-dono. I am Amidamaru. In life I served as a samurai and now I shall teach you the path of the kenjutsu master."

Naruto shook off his shock and smiled sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. "Well thanks Amidamaru-san, but could you not call me Naruto-dono? It's kinda weird."

"I'm sorry Naruto-dono, but I cannot do that. We are entering your service as your guardian spirits. Thus you will become my master."

"_Our_ master, Naruto-dono," Bason said, kneeling next to Amidamaru. "I am Bason, once a general for the Tao family, I will teach you battle tactics and my style of wielding a Kwan Dao in battle."

Naruto sighed. "I'm not gonna get you guys to stop am I?"

"We all feel the same Naruto-dono," Lee said, kneeling next to his fellow spirits. "We have seen your heart and your potential and wish to make you a great warrior. My name is Lee Pyron, I shall teach you the style of martial arts I created when I was alive and have since mastered during my time as a spirit. It's name is _Dao _Dan Do."

"And I shall be teaching you the ways of the shaman warrior," Matamune said. "But before we begin, I have some stipulations regarding our continued companionship."

"What are they?"

"First, the techniques we teach you belong to you and you alone. The only way you are allowed to share them is either we give you permission...or should you start a clan then you may pass them on to your wives and children."

Naruto nodded, and the neko continued.

"Second, you will also strive to train in the arts of your people as well. You may be a powerful shaman when we are finished, but you must not be specialized only in that field of combat."

Naruto sighed. "I was going to ask you about that anyway so no problem there."

Matamune chuckled, his new master was quite the thinker for someone who acted like such a knucklehead.

"Our final stipulations is this: Our. Word. Is. Law. You will not question our methods and you will not complain. You will do as instructed and trust your teachers. Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded and all the spirits smirked. It was time.

"Alright, first it is time we get you properly equipped for your training," Matamune turned and began to walk toward the village. "You must first meet with your village's leader, the Hokage."

"Why are we going to see gramps now?"

"Didn't I say not to question us?"

"Well I have to know why we're going there. He can't see you guys right? Doesn't that mean I'm gonna be the one who talks to him?"

Matamune sighed. "We are able to make ourselves visible to humans, but it would most likely be better if fewer people knew about us after all. Very well, I was going to tell you this later into our training, but I have spoken with your tenant and he had some interesting things to tell me."

"Like what," Naruto fell into step beside the neko while the three warriors followed closely behind.

"He told me that the man who runs your village not only has a soft spot for you in particular, he also owes you for keeping a certain secret from you."

"Sooo...we're gonna guilt trip him," the blond said, his lips curling into a sadistic grin.

"It appears you don't have a problem with this plan Naruto-dono," Amidamaru commented.

"Nah, I've been wanting to prank the old man for a long time, this is just my perfect chance to do it."

The group chuckled as they drew closer to the gates of the village. When the two chunin guards became visible the three warriors returned to their memorial tablets while Matamune perched on top of his shoulder.

"Hey Naruto," one of the guards called. "We forgot to congratulate you earlier on finally graduating. God job!"

"Thanks Kotetsu, I wish I could stay and chat but I have some things I have to take care of."

"No problem man," Kotetsu said, chuckling as he waved to the young blond. "Me and Izumo will be here for a while so drop by when you got the time."

"Will do," Naruto called as he started running down the street toward the Hokage's Mansion. He reached the mansion in minutes and charged up the stairs as fast as he could. Ignoring the raging secretary the hyperactive blond slammed the sole of his foot into his surrogate grandfather's office, and stepped in to find the old man sitting at his desk behind a mountain of paperwork. "Hey gramps! I need a favor!"

"Naruto-kun," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, a gentle smile on his face. "While I always welcome a visit from my favorite little knucklehead, you are a shinobi now so you shouldn't come barging into your commander's office."

"Oops...sorry gramps, I guess I was a bit over-excited."

"It's quite alright, I'll let it go for now but be sure to remember in the future." The Hokage set his pen down and folded his hands over the paper sitting on his desk. "Now, what can I do for you?"

Here the hidden Matamune whispered the proper instructions into the ear of his new master/pupil. Once the blond was sure he had everything, he relayed the message. "Since I'm a shinobi now I was trying to get some new clothes and weapons but the store's still don't let me shop there. I was wondering if you knew any places where they won't kick me out."

Hiruzen sighed, he had tried so hard to make sure the child had a positive childhood, yet he had failed the boy he considered his surrogate grandson. His eyes suddenly gained a steely edge. _'No more!'_ The kage rose from his desk and began to walk out of his office. "Naruto-kun, come with me. I know just the place to go."

Naruto fell in step and began to interrogate the old man. "So what's so special about this place?"

"It is owned by a very dear friend of mine," Hiruzen said and began to walk toward the market district. From within his tablet, Bason stretched out his senses, searching for the spiritual signature possessed by the young girl he had seen the night before. He had told Matamune about what he had seen and the neko had agreed that they should attempt to orchestrate a meeting between the two young warriors. Thus Bason kept on the lookout for the young maiden.

When the Hokage told Naruto they had arrived, Matamune realized it was the same shop Bason had described and, judging by the soft pulse of furyoku he sensed from the general, the girl was in there too.

"Naruto-kun," Hiruzen said. "This store may seem plain, but looks can be deceiving. My friend was never the kind to show off, in fact he is quite humble. He chooses to let his work speak for him instead of intricate signs and boasting."

"He sounds like a pretty cool guy," the blond said.

"He is indeed," was the answer as the old man placed a hand on the doorknob and opened it. A soft chime sounded from the bell on the door as the pair walked in to find a girl standing at the counter, staring at them. "Ah, Tenten. It's good to see you. Is Kenichi here?"

"No, Hokage-sama," Tenten said. "He's on a quick trip with mom to a nearby village to sell buy some materials for the smithy. I don't have any missions today so I volunteered to help watch the store."

"Unfortunate." Hiruzen paused, but then offered smile gently to the young kunoichi. "Well, perhaps you can help us."

"What do you require Hokage-sama?"

"Naruto-kun here has come to me with an interesting request," Hiruzen placed his hand on said boy's shoulder. "He desires a change of clothes and some new supplies as he is about to begin his shinobi career. I was hoping to have Kenichi help but since he is away for the moment could you perhaps help him?"

"Of course Hokage-sama," Tenten bowed to the man, but her gaze seemed riveted to orange-clad genin.

"Thank you," Hiruzen returned the bow. "Now, I must be going. I'm afraid I've let my duties slack for too long now and I must return to my office. I shall leave the boy in your more than capable hands, please just send the bill for anything he asks for to the Hokage Mansion. Naruto-kun, I look forward to see how you've improved once it is time for the team selections."

"Me too gramps, and don't worry I'm gonna blow your socks off!"

Hiruzen laughed and mussed up Naruto's bright blond hair before turning and walking away. Naruto watched him go for but a moment before turning to the girl who had yet to look away from him. "Tenten, right?"

"That's me," she said. "Now, the first thing I need to know is whether or not you plan on having a specialty in regards to a weapon."

Naruto grinned. "Well actually I plan on learning how to use three different weapons."

"Oh, what are they?" Tenten asked, genuinely curious. Weapons were her specialty and anyone else seeking to use them had here immediate interest.

"I need a pair of katana, a Kwan Dao and nunchaku."

"Those are...really diverse choices."

"Yeah, but can you imagine how useful it could be to have those? I can get in close or keep the enemy at a distance pretty easily."

"Promise me one thing before you get these weapons," Tenten suddenly became serious. "Promise you'll actually strive to master the use of these weapons not just wear them for show."

Naruto let his goofy demeanor drop and returned the serious look. "I'm serious, and I give you my word I will do as you ask. I'm done putting on a show."

Tenten nodded and moved toward the weapons on display. With well practiced movements she withdrew a sealing scroll and sealed the required weapons into it. Once done, she pocketed the scroll and turned to face her next objective. "Now that we've got your weapons decided, how about we get you some new clothes?"

"Sounds good to me," Naruto said and followed the girl over to the several clothes racks.

"Alright, from what I can see you've got a bit of a liking to orange and blue. Now those colors in moderation are okay, but that's too much."

"Yeah I know, that's why I'm here."

Tenten nodded. "Let's see, with the weapons you've chosen you're going to need clothes that are loose enough to easily move in but not so loose you trip over yourself. Plus we need to find a color scheme that matches your looks."

The weapon user began moving through the display, picking out random clothes and placing them in the arms of the young blond. Once he was almost buried under a mountain of cloth Tenten led him to the dressing room and started organizing the chaos into some sort of order. For the next hour poor Naruto was forced to play dress-up while Tenten kept handing him different combinations of the clothes to find the 'perfect look.'

At last Naruto stepped out of the dressing room for the last time. He was dressed in a sleeveless dark blue top with orange trim down the front and the collar, a pair of black ANBU-style pants with white bandages wrapped around the cuffs. On his feet he wore a pair of straw sandals that reminded him of Amidamaru's and around his waist he wore a crimson sash. "How's this?"

"Hmmmm...it's almost perfect," Tenten answered. "There's just something missing." her eyes skimmed over the remains of their earlier experiments, and that's when she was struck with inspiration. In a flash she grabbed the items that had caught her attention and held them out to her blond friend. "Try these on."

Curious, Naruto took the offered items and examined them. First was a pair of black fingerless gloves much like he had seen the ANBU and many jonin wear, but these were longer, reaching the middle of his forearm. Last was a white cloak with a high collar that would fasten over his left shoulder. Once those were added to Naruto's wardrobe, he stood before the kunoichi, awaiting the final verdict.

Instead of speaking, the brunette stepped forward and untied Naruto's headband and tied it around his neck. Without anything to obstruct it, his golden hair fell around his eyes, half covering them in shadow that, when combined with the slight slit of his pupils and his whisker marks, gave the boy a feral look that Tenten thought suited him quite well.

"Now it's perfect," she said, stepping back to admire her handywork. Behind her, Naruto could see Matamune nodding in approval while his other three masters had materialized and were also smiling. Their young master looked more like a warrior.

"Thanks for the help Tenten," Naruto said as he helped her gather the excess clothes and put them back on display.

"My pleasure," she said. "But why the sudden change? From what I can remember you've been wearing that jumpsuit since before we were even in the same class at the Academy?"

Naruto paused while his back was turned to the girl, not letting her see the scowl that had taken the place of his original grin."Let's just say I got a wake up call and decided to take the shinobi career more seriously." Thanks to being invisible, Matamune saw Tenten's shoulder slump slightly at his master's words. _'So Bason was right. She knows.'_

"Well, since we're going to be comrades from now on I guess I can give you some pointers about those weapons."

Naruto nodded. "Thanks Tenten. I'll keep that in mind, but I should probably get going if I want to get any training done today."

"No problem, let me just ring up your total and I'll send that bill to Hokage-sama." The next few minutes passed by peacefully between the two as she worked. Once everything was done Naruto was leaving with two extra sets of his new outfit, and two sealing scrolls with his new weapons and plenty of extra kunai and shuriken.

Just as he placed a hand on the door to leave Naruto heard Tenten call his name. When he turned, he saw her standing at the counter, her lips curled up in a soft smile. "Drop by any time you need to stock up or if you're just bored. If I'm here I'll most likely have time to chat."

"Wouldn't you get tired of me coming around all the time?" he asked, genuinely curious about why this girl was being so kind to him.

"Not a chance, besides that's what friends do right?"

Naruto froze. This was uncharted waters he had just traversed into. This girl wanted to be friends with him? A gentle prod from Matamune caught his attention and he glanced over to see the neko offer a simple nod of encouragement.

The blond looked back at the girl and his lips stretched into a broad grin. "Then I'll be sure to drop by some time before I meet up with my team."

Tenten nodded. "Sounds good. Now get going and start training with those weapons. I'm planning on testing you after you meet that team of yours."

With a smirk Naruto offered a mock salute and with a call of "Yes ma'am!" he turned around and bolted out the door, narrowly ducking under the wooden kunai that had been launched after him.

He didn't stop running until he managed to reach the clearing where he had first met Matamune. Laughing between gasps for breath he looked around before pulling out the scroll holding his new weapons. With a quick pulse of chakra and a burst of smoke they were lying on the ground before him. Matamune hopped down from his shoulder as each master appeared next to their weapon.

"The time has come," the neko said. "You are about to step onto a path from which there will be no turning back. Are you sure you wish to continue? This is your last chance before we begin."

"I'm sure," Naruto said, not even hesitating. This was his chance, he would not let it go now that he was so close.

Matamune couldn't hide his smirk. "Very well," said. "Lee, explain what we will be doing for the next thirty days."

The martial artist stepped forward. "Naruto-dono. We noticed that you are unfamiliar with your weapons so you will spend the first ten days of your training by practicing kata with them. Your mornings will begin with kata for my Dao Don Do and the nunchaku, next will be the katana, then you will move on to the Kwan Dao. You're afternoons will be spent with Matamune-dono learning the ways of the shamans as well as their history. Do you understand so far?"

Naruto nodded.

"Good. You will then go to either a tea house or the hot springs for a period of relaxation to allow recovery time. During this time you will be practicing your unity with one of us. At least three of your relaxation times will be spent at the tea house with the shogi boards, where you will practice your strategy with the other players there.

"Finally, on the weekends you shall go to the cemetery. There you will converse with the spirits that linger there, you never know who you will meet there. It will prove useful to have the information one can gain from being invisible to the human eye. Are you ready to begin?"

"Just tell me what to do sensei."

"Very good," Matamune said as Lee backed away. "Since it is the afternoon we shall begin with your lessons in the ways of the shaman. Please be seated Naruto-dono and we shall begin."

Naruto sat down on the forest floor as his new teacher began to speak. As the neko wove tails of epic battles and amazing warriors, he could only smile. He had a new dream, he will take the teachings of his masters and use them to become the next Shaman King.

Matamune noticed the determined gleam in the boy's eyes and smirked. _'These next days will be difficult Naruto-dono. But I believe you will be the one to bring back the ways of the shamans of old. Grow strong, Naruto-dono. Grow strong and raise a family of your own so that the shamans may once again be known for the power they once held.'_

**AND CUT!**

**Alright, there it is folks. Tell me what you think.**

**By the way, I am still working on Half-Ghost Kitsune and The Four Ride Again, I'm curently trying to write something unique which is hard to do for the Chunin and Genin testing parts so just give me a little more time and they'll be updated as soon as possible.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright! Chapter 3 is here. **

**I've gotten a lot of good reviews from everybody and I appreciate your feed back.**

**By the way, I will most likely not be writing lemons, at least not for a while. I want Naruto to be focused on his training for a while. There will be intimate moments eventually, but any lemons will probably happen after the Two-Year Training Trip. (He will teach them some aspects of the Shaman Art, but who's spirits will I team them up with...you'll just have to find out)**

**Well enough chatter on with the chapter:**

**Chapter 3 begin:**

"Naruto-dono, it is time."

Naruto paused in his sword kata and turned to face the one who had addressed him. "Well I guess we better get going then."

He turned to walk away, slipping his sword into the sheath at his waist as he did so. Taking his usual place on his shoulder, Matamune placed the tip of his kiseru between his lips and thought of the past month. Naruto had thrown himself into the training with a vigor the nekomata had only seen when Yoh's fiance Anna Kyōyama would force him into her own brutal training.

The results of the training were mostly hidden by the white traveling cloak he had taken to always wearing, but by combining the constant break down of his muscles and the healing factor originally given to him as a side effect of Kyuubi's chakra mixing with his own the blond had managed to grow not only stronger, but taller as well. The spirit had spent some time observing the other members of his student's graduating class and he would say he now stood equal with the child named Shino Aburame in height.

Another side effect appeared after the meeting he had arranged for the boy and his tenant. _'Now that was an interesting conversation,' _the nekomata thought as they crossed the threshold into the village. His thoughts drifted to the prior evening...

**Flashback:**

"**So, you've held up your end of the bargain nekomata," **the Kyuubi said, opening one eye to see the spirit and his tenant.

"Yes, now you two have one hour. That should be enough time to settle on a pact you both deem satisfactory and then I shall pull Naruto-dono back into the outside world to continue his training." His piece said, Matamune faded from the mindscape while Naruto and the Kyuubi stared at eachother.

The silence hung between them for several minutes before Naruto sighed. "There anyway we can make this place look less depressing?"

The blunt question caught the fox by surprise, as did the subject.

"**You stand before the very cause of your pain and all you worry about is the scenery? You are a very strange mortal."**

Naruto just shrugged. "Well there isn't much else to talk about. You don't trust me and while I would like to make a deal I don't fully trust you and I can't think of a way to work things out so I just decided to at least make this place a little more livable so we don't have to stand around in a sewer."

"**You have a good point. As for the scenery just will it and it will be done, this is _your _mind after all."**

Naruto nodded and closed his eyes. For a moment nothing happened, but then the fox became aware of a strange sound. He looked down to see the water was receding, the echo of the splashing water sounding throughout the mindscape. As the water left, grass began to grow up between the cracks in the floor. The sound of rock shattering drew his attention to his right and he turned to see a tree erupting from the ground, others soon following its lead. Light began to shine down as the walls crumbled and disintegrated.

In mere minutes the sewer the Kyuubi had been living in for the past twelve years was replaced by a clearing in a forest of massive trees. They towered over the fox, who was separated from his host by a massive river that cut through the middle of the clearing. Tall pillars of stone cut through the very center of the river, each engraved with the kanji for 'seal'.

"Much better," Naruto said looking around before sitting down on the ground.

"**I can't help but agree,"** the Kyuubi answered, also choosing to relax and laying down with head resting on his crossed paws. **"Now, what are we going to do about our little arrangement?"**

"Beats me," Naruto said, sighing as a breeze swept through the clearing and stirred his hair. "I haven't even managed to reach full unity with my spirits so I don't know how we can work together yet."

"**I expected that would be the case," **the Kyuubi said. **"I have had many conversations with nekomata and he has told me of your progress and I must admit it is impressive that you reached even the level you have if what Matamune told me about learning to be a shaman is accurate."**

"So you got any ideas how to make this work?"

"**Keep in mind kit, you are training to be both a shaman _and _a shinobi. Just because we cannot perform a shaman art together, that does not mean I am without use. Now, from I have observed you have done some research into chakra control exercises but you seem to be having difficulty performing them."**

"That's right."

"**That is caused by your human chakra not being coordinated with mine. The difference is causing your chakra network to swell. While this is resulting in your already uniquely large reserves to grow, it also causes your control to be shot to hell."**

"Then what do you propose we do to fix this?"

"**Remove a portion of the seal, just a quarter of it. This will provide the slight trickle I am allowed to give you to grow to a steady stream I can use to alter certain parts of your body."**

"Alter how, exactly?"

"**I can make it stronger, fix the damage caused by malnutrition. I can make it so that the chakra you produce naturally carries a similar signature as my own allowing them to work together and improve your control."**

"Would there be any side effects of the excess chakra?"

"**Your natural senses will most likely be much stronger, either as strong or stronger than that clan of dog users you have in your village. Other than that you would most likely have a more feral appearance and that is all I can predict will happen."**

Naruto pondered the demon's offer. It was rather tempting since the power boost and control would be extremely helpful if he wanted to be both a strong shinobi and capable shaman. Plus, the villagers called him a demon...why not give them something to fear. He was tired of being looked down on, this dog refused to be beat anymore. "Do it."

No sooner had the words left his lips when several of the stone pillars suddenly collapsed. Through the gaps left in the barrier the fox sent his power to wrap the boy in a crimson cocoon.

"**Just a warning...this is gonna hurt like hell."**

Naruto's only response to glare at the demon before grimacing in pain. _'Well this sucks.'_

**Flashback End:**

The results were his new height as well as the predicted strengthening of his senses. His whisker marks had grown more defined and his incisors had grown slightly longer and sharper. The unexpected side effect was his hair. It had grown long enough to brush against the tops of his shoulders and was streaked with red highlights.

Matamune was shaken from his reverie when Naruto sat down. He looked up to find they had reached the academy while he had been lost in thought. His pupil had chosen to take a seat near the front of the classroom. To their left sat the boy named Sasuke Uchiha, he was the only other sharing the row with the blond and the spirit.

"Hey Naruto," said blond turned his head to see the boy named Shikamaru Nara standing beside him. "When are you coming around the tea shop again? All I've got to play against is my dad but he's always busy."

"Next time I have the chance Shikamaru, but why do you want to play against me so much?"

The lazy genin sat down next to his blond classmate with a lazy sigh. "Because you play on your toes."

Naruto just stared at the boy, silently urging him to explain further. "Troublesome. You are the only one I've ever played who can change his tactics so easily during a game. You have no pattern and do things seemingly at random but somehow it ends up landing you in the perfect position to strike. Put simply...you're an enigma on the battlefield."

Naruto silently regarded the Nara, but then his lips began to curve ever so slightly into a smirk. "Well then, how about we play again sometime soon. I must admit I rather enjoy seeing you actually _try _at something."

Shikamaru just sighed and leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed. He was snoring within seconds while Naruto could only chuckle. Kami, if what he had heard about his friend's family was true...this guy had to be the pride of the Nara clan.

Deciding to follow his example for once, Naruto leaned back and crossed his arms underneath his cloak. _'A small nap could do me good,' _he thought and closed his eyes. Alas, this was not to be, for just as he had begun to drift into unconsciousness...he suddenly felt uneasy. He strained his senses to discover the source of his tension, and that's when his ears picked up a faint rumbling sound. As the seconds passed it began to grow louder and he felt the ground beneath him begin to shake. _'Well so much for peace,' _he thought, preparing himself for the onslaught of horrible noise he knew to associate with that sound.

With a loud CRASH everyone turned to see two kunoichi charging through the door to the classroom. As they began to scream at eachother Naruto did his best to ignore them. Everyone knew who these to were, Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka, co-founders of the Sasuke Fan Club. Former best friends and now bitter rivals over the heart of a guy who couldn't possibly care less if he tried.

For a moment all was silent, and that worried Naruto. He opened a single eye to see Sakura standing next to Shikamaru, glaring at them both in a pathetic attempt to be intimidating. "Can I help you?" he asked in a relaxed tone, surprising everyone. The Naruto they knew would have instantly tried to ask her out, this was something they didn't understand.

Sakura, on the other hand, didn't care. "Move you baka! I want to sit next to Sasuke-kun!"

"...You do realize there's another seat on the other end of the row, right?"

Sakura looked up and realized he was right, and then scowled. "Well I want to sit there so get out of my way!"

The blond shaman in training looked at her for a moment...and then just faced forward again. "No."

"What?"

"I said no, you didn't ask me you made a demand and I've decided not to do as you wish."

Sakura looked about ready to blow a gasket, but the final straw fell when Ino simply walked up to the blond with a smile. "Naruto," she said and he turned to glance at her. "Could you please let me sit in the chair beside Sasuke-kun?"

Naruto chuckled at the gobsmacked looks on everyone's faces. But it was his answer that truly shocked them. "Sure Ino, thanks for being polite." He stood up and nudged Shikamaru to wake him up. "Come on you lazy bum, let's go sit in the back. You ladies enjoy the brooder."

Naruto dragged his grumbling companion up the steps and deposited him in a seat next to his old friend Choji Akimichi before searching for an empty seat for himself. He eventually spied his classmate, Shino Aburame, and the vacant spot an either side of him. With a small smile he chose the spot nearest to the aisle and sat down.

"Morning Shino," he cheerily greeted the stoic Aburame. The addressed boy turned and nodded.

"Good morning Uzumaki-san," he answered.

"Just call me Naruto," the blond said, leaning back in his chair. "I'm not big on formalities."

"Very well, Naruto-san," Shino turned his gaze back to the front of the room while Naruto sighed in relaxation. For a moment all was peaceful, until the blond's hand suddenly snapped out grabbed something in mid-air. Slowly he opened it show a small beetle standing unharmed on his palm.

"If you were curious about me, Shino," he said, holding his hand out to the Aburame, who simply placed his finger in front of the beetle, allowing it to scuttle up his arm and into the darkness of his heavy coat. "You could have just asked."

"Forgive me Naruto-san. My ability to socialize is quite limited, thus I simply wished to take a sample of your chakra to sate my curiosity."

"What are you so curious about?"

"My hive seems to think your chakra smells...for lack of a better description, particularly enticing."

Naruto frowned, brow furrowed in thought from his classmates words. "Well," he said. "I've heard that my chakra is actually far more potent than a normal persons. Your insects feed on chakra so I'm guessing the more potent the better the meal."

"It is possible," Shino said, intrigued by this new subject. "I wonder if you would be willing to let a few of my kikaichu to sample your chakra."

Naruto just held out his hand. Shino nodded and held out his own. Five little beetles crawled from under his sleeve, across his palm and to the tips of his fingers. Naruto presented the tips of his own fingers to the kikaichu to crawl onto to. They stopped at the palm of his hand and Naruto felt a slight sting when they bit into his hand.

In seconds the insects released him and flew back to Shino, Naruto was about to ask what was wrong but his classmate beat him to it. "They are excited," he said. "They are returning to the queen of my hive with the sample they have. She will decide the overall outcome from this experiment."

"How long does that take?"

"...They just finished."

"And the verdict is?"

Shino was silent as he considered whatever it was the insects told him. In the end he turned and addressed the curious shaman. "Perhaps I had best wait until we figure out which team we will be on." Naruto opened his mouth to question him but was once again beaten to it. "The reason why is because it will only matter if we are on the same team. If not then there would be no point in discussing it."

Naruto shrugged, accepting the answer and tried to catch some last-minute sleep, only to growl in annoyance when he heard the door open and Iruka-sensei start talking. The chunin gave some long winded speech about how proud he was of them (mostly tuned out by his now former students) and then instructed them to pay attention and listen when he called their names so they'd know what team they were on.

For the most part Naruto barely heard who was on the first six teams, he barely knew any of the civilian family genin save for Sakura so he didn't really care. "Team Seven: Naruto Uzumaki," the blond cracked one eye, "Shino Aburame," the insect user nodded to his newly named teammate, "and Ino Yamanaka." "WHAT?"

Everyone in the room turned to stare at the purple-clad kunoichi now standing and glaring at her sensei. "Why am I the one stuck with bug boy and the blond idiot?"

Iruka returned Ino's glare with one of her own. "These teams were chosen by Hokage-sama himself." His voice was low and angry as he spoke. "If you have a problem with them then take it up with him."

Ino's mouth clicked shut like a trap and she dropped into her seat like a puppet with its strings cut. Naruto chuckled, drawing the girl's hate filled glare. He waved with a smirk while Shino simply remained silent.

"Now that we've taken care of that little interruption, Team Seven, your sensei is Asuma Sarutobi. He left instructions that you're supposed to meet him at the barbeque owned by the Akimichi clan."

Naruto's brow furrowed. "That's pretty broad. There's at least six in this part of the village alone."

"He said you'll figure out which one. Now go on, you better not keep him waiting. He left a picture so you would know who you're looking for."

Naruto rose and made his way to the door, his teammates following his example and falling in behind him. Shino made sure to grab the picture before leaving. Once they were gone Iruka turned his attention back to his list. "Next up is Team Eight. Kiba Inuzuka, Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha."

The remaining members of the graduating class were subjected to a hideous screech that all banshees envied and howler monkeys trained years to attain an equal level of terror inducing sound. Luckily, Iruka had anticipated this outcome when he saw the list and had made sure to bring along his chakra activated ear plugs. Handily little things remained inside the ears by drawing from the minute traces of chakra that escape through the wearers skin. While allowing the wearer to normally be able to hear at an unrestrained level, at the first sign of any noise that is beyond what the human ear is capable of taking without damage the seals in the plug cause it to expand and block off any dangerous noise.

"Your sensei is Kakashi Hatake and he left the simple instructions of...wait here and he'll come get you when he feels like it. Moving on, Team Nine is still in the rotation from last year and Team Ten is Choji Akimichi, Shikamaru Nara, and Hinata Hyuuga. Your sensei is Kurenai Yuuhi and she wants you to meet her at Training Ground Ten in half an hour so you better get moving."

The new genin team quickly left while Iruka folded up his list and turned to leave. He cast a sympathetic look to Team Eight before leaving to enjoy the rest of his break before school started back up again.

**BACK TO TEAM SEVEN:**

"So, when are we actually going to start looking for this guy?" Ino asked, staring at the picture of her new sensei. The man in the photo had dark shaggy hair, a tanned face and a goatee with a Konoha headband wrapped around his forehead. She looked up to see Naruto and Shino staring at her.

The young Aburame heir raised a hand to push back his glasses with a single finger. "If you had been listening for the past fifteen minutes Yamanaka-san," he said in his usual monotone. "You would have realized that Naruto-san and I were organizing a strategy for locating our new sensei."

Naruto chuckled as he stared at the flabbergasted blonde. "Maybe it's a sign you should stop your pouting and get your head out of the clouds."

Ino glared at her fellow blond. "Why not just have Shino send his insects to track him down?"

"I am not the only one possessing locating skills Yamanaka-san," Shino said, turning to glance at Naruto. "Naruto-san has revealed to me that he has come to acquire a particular skill with a jutsu know as the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. He has also told me that this special brand of bunshin are not only physical, they are capable of sending all of their memories back to their creator."

Ino gasped. The potential for the bunshin in both training and reconnaissance was not lost on her. Inoichi Yamanaka, father to the girl and head of their clan, had made sure the girl learned strategy. He knew it was common for the Yamanaka, Nara and Akimichi clans to be in a team, but he also knew that there was also the possible chance that the Hokage would seek to change the outcome in order to keep from being predictable. With this in mind he had worked to teach his daughter the importance of teamwork in case such a course was taken. Of course once she became a fangirl he had been having difficulty in that department.

Still, she managed to retain at least enough to realize how helpful such a talent could be.

"Thus," Shino said, breaking the girl from her temporary trance. "We have been attempting to devise a strategy that utilizes both talents to the fullest extent of their ability."

Ino thought about her new teammates words, she had an idea but she needed more information. "What's the easiest way to track with your bugs Shino?"

Shino was silent for a moment, pondering the question before looking up. "My females. They give off a particular scent that draws the males to them. The only drawback to this method is that it requires me to be close enough to place the female on the one I wish to track."

"Then have Naruto create as many clones as there are barbeque restaurants and then place a female on each one. Don't have them release the scent until the clone places them and tells them to. The clone will then dispel alerting Naruto and we use the scent to close in on the location."

Ino smirked with pride at her idea, but when her teammates continued to stare at her for the next five minutes she began to grow concerned. "What?"

Naruto twitched slightly in surprise then blinked. "That...was the smartest thing I've heard you ever say." Shino nodded, showing his agreement with the previous statement.

"Shut up," Ino said, pouting slightly at their comment.

"Please do not be upset Yamanaka-san," Shino said. "It is just that the image you usually project is that of a girl obsessed with boys and make up. We simply are surprised by you suddenly displaying such a tactical mind."

The newly graduated kunoichi was struck speechless. Was that really what people thought she was, a useless fangirl? Grimacing in discomfort, Ino put those thoughts aside for later. "Whatever just get going so we can find our sensei and get this over with."

Nodding Naruto created half a dozen bunshin which were each supplied with a female. The blond explained the plan to his clones one last time to make sure they understood before sending them off. They watched until all the clones disappeared and then Naruto turned to Shino. "You mentioned an experiment earlier," he said.

"Yes," he answered. "I was wondering if you would allow me to have a third of my hive living within your clothing for the remainder of our time together today and whenever we are near eachother."

"Why would you want that?"

"The only drawback of being in a symbiotic relationship with the kikaichu is that the Aburame have smaller chakra reserves than the average shinobi. My theory is that, should you agree with this, if even a third of my hive would poses an alternative source to my own nearby to draw from, it would allow my own reserves to grow exponentially."

Naruto considered the pros and cons of the proposal. After a few moments he simply nodded and opened his cloak slightly. In seconds a small swarm flew from the sleeves of Shino's coat and slipped underneath the fabric into the darkness within. The blond shifted slightly, adjusting to the feeling of having all the insects on his skin.

Meanwhile, Matamune watched, hidden from sight as he observed their interaction. _'They all require more training before they are ready to face the cruelties of the world,' _the nekomata thought, placing the tip of his pipe between his lips and inhaling. _'Naruto-dono has been studying the art he called Fuinjutsu as of late. From I could understand there may be a solution to our young companions problem.'_

"Found him," Naruto's voice cut through Matamune's thoughts and he looked down to see his pupil pointing in the direction one of his clones had gone. "He's at the eastern one next to a tea house I usually go to after a day of training. Shino, the female should be emitting the smell and my other bunshin are bringing the other females to meet us there."

"Very well," the young heir to the Aburame clan said, moving forward to take the lead. "Shall we get going then?"

Naruto grinned and turned to Ino. The blonds shared a grin before the purple-clad kunoichi turned the look to the third member of the team. "Yeah, let's go say hi to our new sensei."

**And CUT, that's a wrap people!**

**Alright, tell me what you think, hope you all like it. The next one's I update will be Four Ride Again and Half-Ghost Kitsune. Ninja of Steel is a work in progress so just give me a little time to hammer out how I want that one to go.**

**See y'all soon.**

**Yurei King signing out!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Don't have much to say except for thanks for the help to Kamen Rider Arashi once more, I'd be lost without his help. Anyway, on with the chapter.**

"You guys got here pretty fast," Asuma said, smiling at the three genin seated across from him. All around them were dining patrons of the Akimichi BBQ Restaurant. Between the jonin's lips dangled an unlit cigarette and he held a zippo lighter in his right hand. The only reason it wasn't lit was the fact he was sitting next to a conveniently placed "No Smoking" sign and was being glared at by a nearby waitress.

"It wasn't that hard to find you sensei," Ino said, eyes on a menu in front of her. Naruto gave the girl a deadpan stare before picking up his own menu while Shino simply sat silently in his chair.

Asuma smirked. "Oh really, I thought it took you at least fifteen minutes to just come up with a plan."

"How did you know that," Ino asked, pouting from having her bluff called so quickly.

Asuma only chuckled while shrugging. "I think you can guess how considering your teammates."

"Kage Bunshin," Naruto stated.

"Give the blond a prize," the jonin said, earning a glare from the young shaman. He easily shrugged off the minimal killer intent as a young waitress walked up to their table. In her hands she carried a large platter heaped with meat and vegetables, all rare and ready to be placed on the little cooking grill sitting in the middle of the table. Asuma thanked the girl with a kind smile before he and his students all took their portions and placed them on the grill.

"Alright," Asuma said, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms. "I figure since we're all gonna be a team we might as well get to know eachother. Now I have an easy way for us to get some basic information on each other. We'll each take turns telling a little bit about ourselves, we'll talk about the jutsu we know and where are specialties are after we eat so just tell me a few things about yourself. I'll go first to give you a general idea of what I'm looking for.

"My name is Asuma Sarutobi. I like barbecue, playing shogi and relaxing with a nice smoke. I don't like anyone who has a problem with my smoking, traitors and people who disturb me when I'm resting. My hobbies are smoking, playing shogi and sleeping. My dream for right now is for all three of you to reach chunin and someday I want a family of my own. Now then, how about we go with the young lady?"

Ino smiled. "I'm Ino Yamanaka. I like working in my parent's flower shop and Sasuke-kun. I hate Sakura and bullies. My hobby is flower arranging and my dream is to marry Sasuke-kun and help him restore the Uchiha clan."

All three male members of Team Seven regarded the blonde kunoichi with a blank stare as she obliviously poked at her small slice of meat on the grill with her chopsticks. The girl was a classic fangirl and that would have to be changed fast. Shrugging it off for now Asuma turned his attention to Shino. "How about you go next?"

Shino was silent for a moment before nodding his head and speaking in his usual monotone. "I am Shino Aburame. I like collecting new species of insects and quiet. I dislike loud people and people who kill bugs simply because they do not like them. My hobbies are collecting insects and training in my clan's techniques. My dream is to master the techniques of the Aburame clan and become an accomplished head of my clan."

"Spoken like a true son of Shibi Aburame," Asuma said. "I've had the pleasure of your father's company on several of my missions and his logic and tactics were a great asset on the field. If you're anything like him then I know you'll go far." Shino thanked his sensei and Naruto raised a hand.

"I'm guessing it's my turn." Asuma simply nodded. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like green tea and ramen. I despise traitors, anyone who would harm another person out of sheer spite and people who can't tell the difference between the warden and his prisoner. My hobbies are training and relaxing in either a tea house or hot springs after a hard day of training. My dream is to become a powerful shaman and start my own clan."

Asuma frowned slightly at his third student's introduction. From what he had read in the boy's file he was expecting a loud prankster screaming about how he'd become Hokage one day. Instead he had a more calm fighter with a calculating stare and...did he say shaman?

"Naruto-baka," Ino scolded her fellow blond. "What's a shaman? Are you making stuff up again?"

Naruto just shrugged. "I'll explain more when we go to the training grounds. Asuma-sensei said we'd be going over our skills later anyway." The trio turned to face the jonin, who simply nodded.

"That's right," he said. "But...we have a meal to finish now don't we?"

Ino and Shino nodded and began to eat, but Naruto first pulled out four small memorial tablets and placed the on the table next to him. In front of each tablet the blond then placed a small bowl with some cooked meat and vegetables with a pair of chopsticks sticking straight into the air. Only after this and a quick prayer did he begin to fix a plate for himself, subtly ignoring the baffled stares of his team.

"Naruto-san," Shino started to say but Naruto cut him off.

"At the training grounds," he simply stated before taking another bite of meat. Taking the hint that he wasn't going to say anything more, the three others simply shrugged before returning to their own meals.

**TIME SKIP:**

"Now then," Asuma leaned against a tree, his three new students sitting in front of him. "Since we've eaten and introduced ourselves...I think it's time we got around to summing up what are skills are. Like last time I'll go first."

The genin nodded and Asuma pulled out his lighter and the cigarette from earlier. In moments he had it lit and was sucking down a small cloud of nicotine laced smoke. He exhaled with a sigh. "You have no idea how good that feels," he told them. When all he got was blank stares he just sighed and decided to get it over with.

"Ok, I'm a ninjutsu and taijutsu user. My genjutsu skills are pretty low, the most I can do is sense and disrupt them. My weapon of choice is the chakra blades," he pulled out his trench knives and focused a bit of his chakra into them, making them glow a light blue. "As for jutsu, other than the basic three from the Academy I have a few oriented around my these blades and a couple of Katon jutsu as well."

Asuma looked to Ino, who nodded. "I know my families **Shintenshin no Jutsu** and the Academy Three. I'm average in taijutsu and genjutsu and that's about it." The girl looked nervous under Asuma's cold stare. She was worried he might be angry so was about to try and do a better job at it.

The jonin held up a hand to stop the oncoming rush of words and smiled gently. "It's a good start for a genin," he said. "But it also means you have a lot of room for improvement. Make sure to get some more training from your father in your clan's jutsu. I can help with the rest."

The blonde nodded, a mega-watt smile on her face. Asuma chuckled and turned to Shino. "Your turn."

Shino nodded. "My skills include the Academy Three and the Mushi Bunshin and Hijutsu: Mushidama of my clan. My taijutsu is average and genjutsu does not effect me thanks to my insects keeping my chakra in a constant state of flux."

"Alright," the jonin said. "You've got a few places you can improve as well. Keep me posted on what you're learning from your clan."

"Yes, sensei."

"And now the mystery member of our little family," he said, turning to Naruto. "You feel like telling us what you meant back in the restaurant Blondie?"

Instead of answering, Naruto took out the same memorial tablets and placed them on the ground in front of him. "I thinks it'd go faster if they explained it." Ino was about to make a comment, knowing her most likely an insult, but froze when wind began to pick up and stirred the dust around her teammate.

The soft breeze quickly turned into a strong gust that stirred the dirt at their feet and kicked up a small cloud, forcing them to cover their eyes. When they looked up they found Naruto had been joined by four new figures. Crouched on his shoulder was a cat dressed in robes, a kiseru latched between his teeth, an amused gleam in its eyes. Behind him stood three large men, each with the hardened look of veterans in combat.

Asuma eyes narrowed, recognizing seasoned warriors when he saw them. "Who are you?"

The cat exhaled a small cloud of smoke. "We are Naruto-dono's guardian spirits," he said. "We are training him in the ways of the Shaman. My name is Matamune. The samurai is Amidamaru," said samurai bowed, "the soldier in armor is Bason," general placed a fist over his heart in a salute, "and the fighter is Lee Pai-Long." Lee nodded, lips curled in a slight smile.

"Naruto," Asuma glanced to his new student. "Care to explain?"

"A shaman is a person who can converse with spirits," the nekomata answered for his master. "The shaman who is trained properly even has the ability to use these spirits in combat through the process of soul unity or merging with the spirit to harness their skills. There is more to it of course, but I will discuss that with my pupil when he is ready for it."

Asuma heard a snort and turned his gaze to his sole female student. "Yeah right, that's not possible," she said, glaring at Naruto. "Stop making stuff up!"

"Perhaps a demonstration would solve this," Amidamaru said, left hand wrapping around his sword as his hardened gaze was focused on the blonde girl now cowering behind her third teammate.

Naruto chuckled. "That may be a good idea Amidamaru," he said. "But perhaps Lee should be the one to help me, yours and Bason's methods are a little too...lethal for the situation."

The samurai looked like he wanted to object, but he eventually sighed in resignation and released his grip on the sword. "As you wish, Naruto-dono." The samurai stepped back while Lee took his place at his master's right side.

"Asuma-sensei, could you face me in a small taijutsu spar?" the blond asked. "No weapons, just straight up hand-to-hand combat."

The chain-smoking sensei grunted before his lips curled into a smirk. "Sure thing, how about five minutes? That sound like enough time for Naruto?"

Naruto returned Asuma's smirk with one of his own before holding up his right hand, palm to the sky. "Lee Pai-Long! Spirit Form!" The martial artist was suddenly surrounded in an emerald green aura before exploding into a fireball of green flames. The fire gathered itself into Naruto's outstretched palm and became a small green ball with Lee's eyes and a pair of nunchaku sticking out of its back. Naruto gripped this ball tightly and called out a single word before slamming it directly into his chest. "UNITY!"

In an instant the fireball was gone and Lee was still gone. Naruto suddenly straightened, popping his neck while stretching. When he finally opened his eyes and looked to Asuma, the jonin could not hold back a gasp. The blond's eyes had the same look the martial artist had possessed, the look of a man eager to test himself against strong foes and measure their strength against his own.

"**Ready sensei?" **When Naruto spoke it was like he had two voices at once, his...and Lee Pai-Longs."

Asuma's smirked widened. _'This could be interesting,' _he thought to himself, but out loud all he said was, "Bring it on kid, let's see what you can do."

Only too happy to oblige, the unified warriors charged the jonin head on. Thinking he'd won already Asuma went for a left jab, only for Naruto to leap into the air. Looking up, he saw the blond coming right for him, right leg extended for an axe kick.

Asuma grabbed Naruto by the ankle and used his own momentum to throw him, but in the brief moment where he was turning, the blond managed to catch him with a glancing blow to the arm. It didn't have a lot of power behind it, but it still had enough to make the jonin realize he needed to be serious.

"Not bad kid," he said. "Now let's see how you do in defense!" He charged the boy with a powerful uppercut he managed to barely dodge, but caught him with a left jab to the stomach. Refusing to back down, Naruto placed his hands on top of Asuma's wrist and pushed down while jumping with his legs. Yelling out a battle cry he twisted his body and brought both feet crashing down onto his sensei's head and then kicked off, back-flipping away and landing on his feet.

_'That was a good blow,' _Asuma mused as he straightened up and stared at his student. _'If I was still a chunin that would have easily been enough to take me out of a fight. Maybe there's something to this shaman thing after all.'_

"Alright, that's enough Naruto, I believe you."

Naruto smiled and relaxed his fighting stance. In yet another flash of green Lee appeared next to his master. "You did well Naruto-dono," he said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'd say we've reached almost ninety percent full unity. Now you just have to continue to train your body and you'll keep progressing in Dao Don Do until you can do it completely without the Soul Unity."

Naruto just nodded before turning back to his team. "So...you guys believe me now?" His fellow genin nodded while Asuma just chuckled.

"Yeah, we believe you Naruto, but it's getting late and you guys should be getting home. We'll meet back here at...let's go with 8 o'clock tomorrow morning. Ino, Shino, you guys go on, I just need to ask Naruto a few things really quick."

The two genin nodded and said goodbye to Naruto before walking away. Asuma waited until they disappeared before turning back to his third student. "You know my father will want to hear about this," he said, tone serious as he pulled out a fresh cigarette. "I have to report to him tonight."

Naruto shrugged. "He was gonna find out sooner or later, might as well get it over with."

The bearded jonin chuckled at Naruto's carefree attitude. "He'll most likely want to talk to you about it so you should probably get up early tomorrow."

"Tell him I'll be ready by six, that should be enough time. Umm...is that it?"

"Yeah, go on and rest up. We got a lot of work to do tomorrow."

Naruto laughed and started walking toward the village, ready for a bowl of ramen and a good night's sleep. Asuma watched his student leave before turning to see Matamune had not left with him. "Shouldn't you be with Naruto?"

"I wanted to ask you something first," the neko answered, eyes narrowed as if he were thinking heavily over something. "What is your opinion of my student's situation?"

"If you mean the fox then I don't give a damn," Asuma replied, his blunt answer surprising the spirit. "He is Naruto and Kyuubi is the Kyuubi, if anything the fox could a handy asset if Naruto ever learns to harness his power but I'm not gonna try and force him to do that. Besides, it would take a seal master to teach him how to utilize the fox's power and that's not me so I don't plan to bother with it unless someone like Jiraiya of the Sannin comes around and offers."

"Very well, if that is the case then I say you will be a good teacher for the boy. While I intend to teach him about the shaman arts, this is the age of shinobi and thus he must learn to live in this world as well as ours. He requires a good teacher to do so and I believe you will do quite nicely."

"I'll try not to disappoint," the jonin said. "This is my first time teaching so I'm gonna have to play it by ear until I get some experience under my belt."

"I will assist you where I can," Matamune said as he turned to walk away. "But for now, I believe you have a meeting to get to."

Asuma froze before glancing up to check the sun's position and cursing. _'Crap, I might actually be later than Kakashi this time!' _The seasoned jonin felt a shudder go down his spine as mental image of the looks on his father's and a certain kunoichi's face if he showed up late. Compelled by that fear Asuma dropped his cigarette and used the **Shunshin no Jutsu**, praying he would make it in time.

**And I'll cut it off there, shorter then I wanted but next comes the meeting with the council...wow I've got two stories I have to do that with, plus everything I try doing for Ninja of Steel turns out crappy, I've blocked with that one for a while now...the problem is everything I try turns him into an instant god and that's not how I do things. You gotta work at it.**

**Ninja of Steel is going to take some time so please be patient with me.**

**And I know the fight was WAY short, but bear in mind that Asuma was just seeing if Naruto was actually telling the truth about learning from the spirits, when our little blond hero demonstrated such control of his body and the strength of his blows the chain-smoking jonin decided it was enough and cut it short. There will be longer spars and battle scenes come the Wave Mission, which may begin at the end of the next chapter or start on the one after that but you gotta be patient with me.**

**Other than that let me know what you think.**

**Till next time, yurei king signing out!**


	5. Chapter 5

Konohagakure Cemetery. A place where the people of the village were put to their final rest. Burial stones stood in neat rows throughout the plot of land at the far end of the village. It was this scene, lit by the dim gentle light of the early morning, that Naruto Uzumaki saw as he stepped onto the small path leading to the large red stone flame, and the figure clad in robes of red and white that stood next to it.

"Naruto-kun," Hiruzen called, waving to the young shaman. "I'm glad you could make it this early in the morning."

"What can I help you with gramps?" Naruto asked, standing next to the one man to show him the most kindness throughout his childhood.

"My son happened to tell me of an interesting skill you've managed to obtain. When he told me the specifics I confess to being quite intrigued and I was wondering if I could...test this new skill."

Naruto shrugged. "I'm guessing you want me to find a specific spirit?"

Hiruzen shook his head. "Not spirit. Spirits. I want to know if my predecessors have stayed in the human world to watch how things have changed."

Naruto hesitated. He'd visited the cemetery before to speak with some of the spirits that remained behind, but he'd never gone close to where the former Kage and their families had been buried. He'd never felt he was worthy to face them, and he was afraid of what they would think of him using the souls of the dead to fight. He knew some would see that as an insult and even begin to believe he had forced them to work with him, it was just the way people were.

"Well," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head as he thought it over. "I can't just deny a request from the Hokage now can I?"

Hiruzen chuckled at the playful smirk on his surrogate grandson's face. "Well, unless you want to be stuck on D-ranked missions for a couple months then of course you can, it just wouldn't end well for you."

Naruto laughed at the obvious strategy his superior was using, and at the fact it was unconditionally true. "Alright, I can't promise they stuck around but if they're here then why don't we go say hello?"

The old man couldn't resist another chuckle as he turned to lead the genin toward the burial grounds of the greatest shinobi to ever dwell withing the walls of Konohagakure, and the place his own body would one day rest when his own journey in the world would come to an end.

He led him to the giant symbol of the village that stood at the head of the graveyard. The monument stood as a reminder of what these men and women died for those who are left behind. But it served another purpose as well. The duo walked around to the back of the monument, where a small spiral had been engraved into the stone. Hiruzen placed his palm against the stone and pushed a small portion of his chakra into it. A faint click was heard and the floor in front of them dropped down, revealing a staircase leading down into the earth.

Hiruzen stepped forward and led Naruto into the depths of the earth, a series of torches providing a flickering light for them to see by. For several minutes they walked in silence until they came to the foot of the stairs, it is there that the Hokage paused.

"Naruto," he said. "What you are about to see is a secret that is passed down from one Hokage to his intended successor. I was brought here by the Nidaime Hokage and I brought the Yondaime here when I had made my decision to name him my successor. You must swear to never reveal the existence of this place to anyone, do you understand?"

Naruto nodded, all signs of the playful young man gone. In his place stood a young man who carried a heavy responsibility and was fully aware of that fact.

"Very well," Hiruzen turned and through an empty doorway into a vast chamber. "Welcome, Naruto Uzumaki, to the true last resting place of the leaders of our village. The Hokage Tomb."

The chamber was large, Naruto would have to use a chakra enhanced jump to touch the ceiling and torches lined the walls. In the center of the chamber, four coffins of stone stood. Hiruzen moved toward these coffins until he stood before them and bowed. "Here lie the bodies of my masters and my former successor. Hashirama Senju, founder of the village and Shodaime Hokage. Beside him is his wife, Mito Uzumaki, a woman of regal beauty and a true master of the art of fuinjutsu. Next is Tobirama Senju, Nidaime Hokage and a master of the Suiton jutsu. Finally there is Minato Namikaze, creator of the Hiraishin and the man to seal the Kyuubi into you."

"Oh Hiruzen you always were a flatterer," Naruto turned to see a three figures standing off to the right, watching as Hiruzen continued to stare at the coffins.

The first was a tall man dressed in a what appeared to be red samurai armor, without the helmet. His hair flowed long and was pitch black, framing a face with a square chin, dark eyes and a gentle smile.

Next to him stood a woman dressed in an elaborate kimono. Her long, crimson red hair was tied up into twin buns with pins holding them in place. Her earrings were tags with symbols covering them and her lush red lips were curled in a small smile.

Last there stood a tall man dressed in a blue version of the same armor as the first, only with a fur lining on the collar. His white hair was cut short, and kept out of his face with a metal headband that had been modified into a faceguard with a metal part lining his jaw. Red lines adorned each of his cheeks and his expression was stern, cold even. He was the one who next spoke.

"But why has he brought this boy here? Usually it's only the ones chosen to be the next Hokage that are brought here. Also, he's still wearing the robes of a Kage, did something happen to the one he called Minato?"

"I'm here to talk to you actually," Naruto said, causing the three to jump in shock and Hiruzen to turn and give the boy a confused look. "Now why don't you make yourselves visible and say hi to the old man?"

"Naruto," Hiruzen said, gaining the attention of the young man. "Are you saying they're here?" Naruto nodded. "Will they show themselves?"

"Can we even do that?," the man in red armor asked. The other two shrugged, causing the young shaman to heave a sigh.

"Matamune, Amidamaru, Lee, Bason, could you guys come out here please?" Responding to the boy's call the four warriors manifested themselves around him. Matamune as always was resting on his shoulder, Amidamaru was regarding the two in armor with interest while Bason had his eyes on the old man currently looking like his jaw was completely unhinged. Lee just stretched with a loud yawn.

"How can we help you Naruto-dono?" Matamune asked, exhaling a small smoke ring as he did so.

"Those three over there don't know how to make themselves visible," Naruto said. "Since I can see you guys I figured you could show them."

"Actually, Naruto-dono," Bason said. "You are capable of seeing spirits because of your own power, not us allowing you to. It is also within a shaman's power to allow humans to see them."

"Pretty much means you're the one who can make them visible," Lee said, noticing Naruto's slightly confused look.

"How do I do that?"

"Simply push your furyoku into the air surrounding you. Hiruzen's will react and allow him to see for a short period of time." Naruto nodded and began let the spiritual essence critical for a shaman to harness saturate the area of the tomb. Hiruzen watched his surrogate grandson until he felt a strange tingling sensation against his skin. With hope in his heart he turned to where Naruto had been indicating earlier and gasped.

There they stood. His teachers from his days as a genin and the ones that chose him to be the next in line for the seat of Hokage. "Sensei?"

The man in red armor laughed. "Well you little monkey, looks like you've gotten pretty old."

Hiruzen sighed, yup, his sensei hadn't changed. "It's good to see you Hashirama-sensei, Tobirama-sensei, Mito-sama."

Hashirama laughed laughed again while Mito hid her laugh behind a fan she plucked from her obi. "It's good to see you too my little monkey," the woman said. "Now, why don't you tell us what has happened since you took over as the Hokage?"

Hiruzen was about to speak but then he realized Naruto was still there and coughed. "Perhaps now is not the best time," he began but Naruto interrupted him.

"Don't worry about it gramps," he said. "You guys catch up, I can always come back later if you need more proof." The aspiring shaman let one last pulse of his power fill the room before stepping out, his guardian ghosts following him save for Matamune.

"I wish to stay a while longer Naruto-dono," the nekomata said. "I will join you later." Naruto nodded and turned to leave, closing the door behind him. As soon as they heard the chamber reseal itself Matamune turned to address the occupants of the tomb.

"Former leaders of this esteemed village and current one, will you hear the request of an old spirit?"

"Speak," Tobirama said, eyeing the neko with a suspicious glare.

"As you now know my new master is able to see spirits and I believe your son explained the other aspects we talked about Sandaime-dono." Hiruzen nodded and the neko continued. "Now, as I have already stated I have a request, but I also have an offer of my own in return. My request is that you help to teach my pupil learn the ways of shinobi. Now before you interrupt me please know I have the utmost faith in Asuma's teaching abilities, but he is raised in this new time, but I fear this peace is as momentary as the seasons."

"The Hokage's old and recent have all participated in war and know the effects it will have on the psyche as well as unit cohesion once the first kill is achieved. I am seeking to nip this issue in the bud by surrounding my pupil with warriors who understand that and were able to overcome it. Myself and my fellow spirits that have taken the time to train Naruto-dono do not wish him to lose his humanity so I ask that you help us."

The tomb was completely silent. A pin dropping would have sounded like an explosion in the still air as the others stared at the smoking neko. As for Matamune, he casually returned their stare, his gaze unblinking as he placed his kiseru between his lips and inhaled yet again.

"You must care a great deal for this boy," Hashirama said, smiling kindly as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes, seemingly deep in thought. "Well why not, I've been getting bored here anyway and I want to see what the village looks like after all these years."

Tobirama sighed. "I suppose I might as well come along, I should at least make sure my brother doesn't do anything foolish." Hashirama's head sank and a depressed shadow covered the top half of his face.

"Brother," he groaned. Mito watched the two, once again with her fan in front of her face as she giggled at their antics.

"Well, we have a pretty good idea how things are progressing from little Hiruzen-kun's visits," she the Uzumaki said, turning to Hiruzen who nodded, features dropping into an angry frown. "Do not blame yourself my little monkey. Times have changed and we have all made choices we are not proud of."

At this Tobirama's perpetual scowl deepened. "That reminds me. I need to have a little talk with Danzo. I am most disappointed in the path my former pupil has chosen to follow. But Hiruzen, the choices you made are not ones you should be proud of, but you should not consider it a failure either. You did what you believed was necessary at the time, whether an alternate path could have been chosen or not no longer matters. The past is gone, all you can do is live in the present and work towards a better future."

Hiruzen nodded and then turned to speak to the patiently waiting Matamune. "We agree to your request, but what is this offer you spoke of?"

"As you know Sandaime-dono, I have begun to train Naruto-dono in the arts of the shaman. What neither of us has revealed to you is how many forks exist in the road to becoming a shaman."

"What do you mean?" Hashirama asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Just as there exists several skills a shinobi may choose to master, the same is true for a shaman. There are spirits aligned with a particular element as well as a skill in a certain form of combat. There were shamans capable of summoning a spirit from the world of the dead known as mediums by use of certain items used to channel their furyoku and this is just a basic explanation."

"Are you saying Naruto will be learning all of these things?" Mito asked but Matamune shook his head.

"I'm afraid that will be too difficult for him. Becoming a medium requires an extensive amount of meditation and focus to truly master it. Unfortunately, Naruto-dono lacks the attention span to devote himself to that path."

"Then what exactly is your offer?" Tobirama asked.

"As I understand it, Naruto-dono is the last known surviving member of the Uzumaki and Namikaze clans, which will almost certainly lead to him being forced into the Clan Restoration Act you yourself instated Nidaime-dono. My offer, is to train any wives Naruto-dono may take in the ways of the shamans that the ancient ways may live once again."

"And you're certain such a powerful clan would swear fealty to the very village that caused such suffering for the new clan head?"

"I cannot nor shall try to discern what my master's plans are. The cards are on the table esteemed warriors, now will you make this gamble along with me?"

The others noticed a familiar glimmer appear in Hashirama's eyes and suddenly became worried for one small reason...the Shodaime had a penchant for gambling. Thinking quickly Tobirama placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and spoke. "Don't be rash brother, we haven't even had a chance to leave this tomb so you had better think before agreeing." He turned to Matamune and voiced another question. "How do we know you can deliver on this?"

The nekomata simply reached into his robes with his free hand and drew out a small book bound in cracked leather with a string of pearls wrapped around it. "This was written by the greatest shaman to have ever lived, my first master Asakura Hao. It contains the teachings of every path of the shamans road and grants immeasurable power and is known as the Cho-Senjiryakketsu. It was sealed away when my master died and then centuries later his descendants opened it again in order to gain a power to combat a terrible threat. After the threat was taken care of I was entrusted with the duty of guarding the script."

"You seem sure you can teach someone these things," Hiruzen voiced his opinion. "Have you taught those techniques before?"

Matamune slipped the book back into his robes as silently smoked for several minutes before he decided to speak. "Once before did I take an apprentice and teach him the things in this book. He was a gifted warrior with large reserves of furyoku and a keen intellect that almost rivaled my first master at his prime. His name is lost to history but his title is known by all."

He paused again, as if considering telling them the name. The gathered shinobi and spirits watched him carefully, practically begging him to tell them. Finally he looked up once more and met their gaze. "He was known as the Rikudo Sennin."

**With Naruto:**

The shaman in training strolled through the cemetery, waving to the occasional spirit that he recognized while his three guardian spirits walked next to him. He was lost in thought over what had just happened and was also waiting until Matamune finished whatever he was doing in the tomb so he never noticed when a spirit he did not know walked up to him.

"Excuse me," she said and Bason turned to her. "By any chance may I trouble your master for a little of his time?"

The warrior looked the spirit over, as if discerning whether or not she was a threat. She was a young woman shoulder-length light colored hair dressed in the attire commonly worn amongst shinobi of jonin rank and a pair of glasses with round lenses resting on her nose but what drew his attention was the headband on her forehead that marked her as being from Iwagakure, the sworn enemy of Konohagakure.

"What business would an Iwa-nin's spirit have with my master?" he asked.

The woman held up her hands pleadingly. "Please listen. I'm not truthfully an Iwa-nin. I can explain but please let me speak with your master, it's really important."

Bason frowned but was kept from speaking when Naruto spoke. "It's alright Bason, let her pass." The general nodded and stepped to the side, letting the kunoichi approach his master. "What do you need," Naruto asked.

"Naruto-sama," the woman knelt at the boy's feet, hands clasped like she was in prayer as she looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. "Please, grant my request. The other spirits have told us of how you try to help them find peace and thought I might try my luck."

"What would you ask of me?"

"I was a spy for Konohagakure," she explained. "I had infiltrated Iwagakure in order to gather intel under orders of the man known as Danzo, the head of the Anbu faction known as Root. I was promised my son would be released from service under him and allowed to return home if I assassinated a target Danzo considered a threat. The target managed to slay me in combat, but what I only found out later when I watched as a spirit was that he was my son."

Naruto scowled. He had heard of Danzo, the man's methods were not as secret as he may think. Spirits walk the cemetery by his hand the those he commands slain for their knowledge or simply failing in their mission. The fact he allowed those that made it back a proper burial was surprising to say the least. The blond shook off his thoughts and focused once more on the woman who began to explain further.

"My son is now serving under the traitor Orochimaru," she said, causing Naruto's frown to deepen further. "He plans to help destroy the village. I beg of you, please stop Kabuto! This is not what I wanted for him." The tears were flowing freely now and she looked fit to collapse in a heap if Naruto hadn't knelt down and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Where is he?"

"H-he works at the hospital," she answered. "He has the rank of genin but he's incredibly skilled, don't underestimate him." Naruto nodded then turned to his companions.

"Lee, stay at the tomb. When Matamune returns tell him I'm running an errand and to meet me back home." Lee nodded and walked back to the resting place of the Hokage's while his master turned back to the woman. "What is your name?"

"Nono Yakushi," she said, pushing her glasses up on the bridge of her nose.

"Will you please take me to see your son?" Nono nodded and stood to walk toward the hospital, Naruto, Amidamaru and Bason close behind her.

Once they managed to reach the hospital Nono led them up to the third floor, explaining that it was the floor Kabuto usually worked on. They wandered the hallway, Naruto simply watching as Nono moved from door to door, searching for her son. Soon she stopped at the door to what appeared to be a break room. She looked to Naruto and nodded and the boy stepped forward to see a young man sitting on a couch while writing on a notepad.

The man was of average height with his silver hair tied in a ponytail at the back of his head and a pair of wire-rimmed glasses with circular lenses resting on the bridge of his nose. He was dressed in the white scrubs of a doctor with the symbol of the leaf stitched into the fabric where a left breast pocket was normally on a shirt.

"Kabuto Yakushi?"

The man looked up and smiled kindly. "Yes, can I help you young man?"

Naruto stepped into the room and slid the door closed behind him. "I was asked to find you and deliver a message by a woman who considers you very important to her."

Kabuto set the notepad on the table in front of him and stood up, placing his hands in his pockets. "And who would this person be?"

Naruto hesitated before taking the next step in their conversation. "Nono Yakushi." Like a switch had been flipped Kabuto's kind and cheerful persona was gone. In its place was a cold, calculating look and a simple frown.

"Mind telling me how you know that name?"

"She told me."

"She's dead."

"Just because someone is dead doesn't mean they're gone."

Kabuto vanished in the blink of an eye and reappeared in front of the young shaman, right palm over his heart and the left hand holding a kunai with a special curved tip at his throat. "I suggest you don't waste my time and yours with silly tales. Tell me why you are here and who sent you, and I'll know if you're lying so I wouldn't bother unless you feel like getting a new place to talk from."

Naruto stared at the spy for several moments before speaking again. "I was in the cemetery just before coming here. I have been training to see spirits and spent my time bringing some peace to a few of them while some are perfectly fine staying there and are actually my friends. This morning I was approached by the spirit of a woman dressed in the standard attire of an Iwa-nin who introduced herself and Nono Yakushi and asked me to help her talk to her son who was tricked into killing her while she had been led to believe you were somebody else and who works at Konoha's Hospital as a spy for the greatest traitor in the village's history since Madara Uchiha. Now here we are."

Kabuto furrowed his brow in frustration. He was using a diagnostic jutsu to listen to the genin's heartbeat and he could tell he wasn't lying, but it was impossible.

Naruto saw his disbelief and sighed. "I have spent the past month learning to become what was once referred to as a shaman. I am capable of seeing and interacting with spirits and I can allow you to temporarily do the same, if you wish to find some sense of closure."

Kabuto didn't know what to do. Here was this boy, bringing all his secrets to light and then offering to let him speak to the one person who truly cared for. He knew what he should do, slit his throat and make him disappear, but something in him made him stop. Hope? Longing? He didn't know what it was but it made him hesitate.

Slowly he drew back his blade and hand and canceled the flow of chakra to his palm. "Can...can I see her?"

Naruto nodded and let his furyoku saturate the air around him, letting it react with the spiritual side of Kabuto's chakra and granting him the temporary ability to see spirits. The talented medic-nin watched as Nono materialized in front of him, tears running down her cheeks.

The young shaman watched as the two embraced and turned to leave, pausing only to let one last pulse of his power to make sure Kabuto would be able to talk to his mother for the rest of the day. Amidamaru and Bason followed him, an unsettled look on the samurai's face that Naruto quickly noticed.

"What's wrong Amidamaru?"

"Do you plan on notifying the Hokage about what you've learned Naruto-dono?"

Naruto sighed. "Not yet. I want to see what Kabuto will do first." He turned to look out a window and saw Shino and Ino walking through the streets with Asuma not to far behind them. Ino seemed to be searching for something and Naruto would bet money it was most likely him. "Let's go see what my team is up to."

With practiced ease he climbed out of the window and jumped down into the branches of a nearby tree and from there to the ground below. "Hey, Ino, Shino, what's up?"

"FINALLY!" Ino shrieked, running up to her fellow blond and pulling him by the ear to where their teammate and sensei were now waiting. "We've been looking all over for you!"

"Why?"

"Because we want to learn more about this "shaman" skill of yours," Shino answered. "The reason for that is I was conversing with my insects after they spent some time consuming your chakra. They told me your chakra is...different from what they have normally consumed?"

"Different how?"

"It's...calmer. It seems less erratic than the common types."

Naruto frowned in thought. "Interesting. Speaking of which, you want to continue the experiment?"

"I would," Shino answered, holding out his hand as a swarm of the chakra consuming insects moved from the outstretched limb to Naruto who also raised a hand to accept them. Both of them tactfully ignored the disgusted looks on the faces of Ino and the surrounding civilians. Once they were settled they lowered their hands and began to walk down the road.

"I say it's time we get some ramen," Naruto said and looked at Ino when she began to protest. "We ate barbecue last time so I'm getting my fix, got it?" His fellow blonde sighed but surrendered the point while Asuma laughed. The team walked off, talking about each other's skills and how best to incorporate them into a working strategy.

**And Cut.**

**Alright, another one down, tell me what y'all think and stay tuned for my next update.**

**Till then, yurei king signing out.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Yo, how's it going? Anyway here's the newest chapter! Not much in the ways of progress in the storyline, but I answer a few questions here. **

**And as a shoutout to AbBytoTs for her, at least from what I gathered from her profile, thank you for that review. Your support and that of all my other fans is greatly appreciated. **

**Enough babbling, On with the Chapter! **

It was a cool Sunday morning, most would spend the morning lounging in restaurants or bars together simply enjoying the day. For some, however, there is another way of passing time enjoyed by those with a certain occupation…

Naruto ducked under the barrage of shuriken and lunged toward his opponent, thrusting the point of his kwan dao at her torso. The kunoichi nimbly stepped around the blow and closed in as well, katana raised and aiming for his extended arm. The blond twisted the limb, forcing the spear's tip to the ground and raising the shaft to intercept the blow.

The thick wood managed to block the blow and Naruto used the moment to lash out with a fierce kick and managed to catch the girl in the side. The blow caused her to back up, giving some space for him to lift the weapon and enter the stance Bason had taught him when preparing for an assault. Feet spread with the left food forward with the spear held at waist level. His left hand extended to just a foot from the tip and his right hand behind him.

He remembered his master's words as the girl took up a stance as well. _"This stance is ideal for attack and defense," _the former general's words rang in his mind. _"In this stance you can redirect a blade should you face a sword wielder with a simple tap to the side and with your right hand you push the spear into the throat. Should you be attacked from behind or the sides you can easily shift one of your feet and angle your body to dodge while pulling with one hand and pushing with the other to bring your weapon to strike when they are vulnerable."_

Bason had drilled this stance into Naruto's mind until it was his basic instinct. In this stance he would have the best chances of fighting his opponent until he had developed his skill enough to fight against those with more experience. His moment of reflection did not last as his opponent chose that point to make her move.

Darting forward the girl raised her blade and Naruto quickly jerked the tip of the kwan dao, bringing it crashing into the blade. When he moved to follow up with the attack she ducked, grabbed onto the shaft with her free hand and pulled, knocking him off balance and raising her blade to hit him in the torso.

Cursing to himself Naruto was forced to let go of the spear and slammed his hands into the ground, flipping over her and grabbing his spear once again as he landed. With his back still to her he pulled his right hand back and slammed the flat end into her side like a bo staff and then instantly changed direction to bring the blade spinning around to finish her.

Once again she proved her ability with a sword by moving with the blow and bracing the sword with her free hand to block the incoming blade. The two paused, both panting after the long spar. "You're pretty good Tenten," he said, shifting back and moving the spear away while the brown-haired aspiring weapon's specialist did the same.

"Well you're getting pretty good yourself Naruto-kun," Tenten answered.

The two had been training since just an hour after dawn when the girl had walked into what she had thought was a vacant training ground to find Naruto performing a kata with the kwan dao. Of course she had been curious about his progress with the weapon and had immediately challenged him. He had been eager to fight as well and so they'd quickly set about trying to eviscerate each other, all in good fun of course.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead Naruto's attention was grabbed by Matamune stepping out of the trees lining the training ground and looking pointedly off to the right. The shaman nodded and turned to address his friend. "Hey Tenten, since we're both free how about we go clean up and get something to eat?"

"Are you asking me out on a date Naruto-kun?" she asked. "How bold."

"You know I'm not falling for the teasing again," he answered, earning a pout from the brunette. "But if you wouldn't mind it being a date then sure."

"Then you've got two hours and we are _not _going to that ramen shop," she said, resealing her sword into a scroll and turning to leave.

Naruto chuckled and watched her leave. She was just about to walk out of sight when a thought struck him and he called out to her. "Dress nice! No shinobi clothes, I've got a good place in mind!"

She turned and waved before disappearing completely. Once gone Naruto turned and called out to the trees. "You can come out now."

From the shadows in the area Matamune indicated stepped a figure in a black cloak with the hood drawn to hide all but the bottom half of the face in shadow. "So you knew I was here."

"I know a lot of things Kabuto," the shaman answered, causing the figure to smirk slightly and pull back his hood to reveal his spectacled face. "What I don't know is why you're here."

"You said you learned how to interact with spirits and fight alongside them?" Naruto nodded. "I…I want to know if it's possible for me to learn as well."

"You want to team up with your mother." This time it was Kabuto's turn to nod. "Will you use what I teach you to get revenge on Danzo?"

"No," Kabuto answered, surprising the blond. "I've seen what the search for revenge can do to a person. Don't misunderstand I am still filled with hate and should I have the chance to kill that man I will take it, but I will not let my world be enveloped by my rage."

The medic paused push his glasses back before continuing. "I joined Orochimaru in order to find out who I am. Working as a spy has some side effects of losing sight of your identity and I simply wanted to find out who I was underneath all of that. This skill of yours, it has been a long time since I've ever felt the desire to learn as badly as I do when I heard what you were capable of using." The man sank to his knees and bowed to Naruto. "Please, if it is possible I want to learn from you."

Naruto glanced at Matamune. The neko smoked his kiseru in silence for a long pause before turning back to his pupil and nodding. At the moment he did so Naruto addressed the medic.

"Stand up." He stepped forward as Kabuto rose to his feet and placed the palm of his hand against his chest. "Normally I would need to raise your spiritual level gradually but considering I just promised a girl a date so this will be a bit quicker…and it's gonna hurt like hell so brace yourself."

Kabuto nodded and Naruto closed his eyes. The young shaman pulled on his large reserves of spiritual energy and forced it to slam into the medic's chest. His own spiritual power reacted and sparked to life, granting the power of a beginning shaman.

"Excellent work Naruto-dono," Matamune said, taking the moment to step forward and address Kabuto. "Now Kabuto-san. It will be my task these next few days to teach you how to utilize your skills in the shaman world. Luckily one of my previous partners teammates was a talented doctor and a shaman so I have some past knowledge to draw on. Go and take some leave from the hospital, we will be spending our time in the forest training so pack for two weeks."

Kabuto nodded and Matamune turned to Naruto as he began to walk away. "Now Naruto-dono I believe you have preparations to make so I will also be taking my leave."

Naruto nodded and turned to leave as well. Using the rooftops to reach his apartment building sooner the aspiring shaman slipped into his apartment and began to prepare for his outing with Tenten.

First he showered, washing away the dirt in grime from the morning's training. Next he searched through his clothes to pick an appropriate outfit. Amidamaru and Bason, both being accomplished warriors with greats amount of fame, had both been required to own clothes more suited for social gatherings than combat and had advised their master to do the same. Thus Naruto had several types of clothing in his possession.

For Tenten he decided to wear a black formal kimono with a crimson sash and matching hakama bottoms. Arching from his left shoulder and across his back to wrap around his waist was the writhing body of a Chinese dragon with sapphire blue scales with dark green spines along its back. He left his headband tied around his neck, his hair falling around his head in a wild mane that gave him a rather rugged look when coupled with the whisker marks on his cheeks.

He checked himself in the tall mirror hanging on his bedroom door when a sudden thought struck him. He turned to the desk next to his bed and placed a hand over the seal engraved into its surface. A burst of smoke later and he was gripping the sheath of a katana. The hilt was wrapped in blue thread, the common diamond pattern showing the black wood underneath and tipped with a gold pommel. The guard was a red whirlpool design.

Naruto slipped the sword into the sash around his waist and turned to look at the clock. He still had another hour before Tenten was expecting him so he decided to meditate. He turned his thoughts to the events during the past week that had occurred since his first meeting with the previous kages.

Hashirama and Tobirama had rarely left Hiruzen's side, offering advice and observing as he went about his daily duties. Mito, on the other hand, had come to him regarding Matamune's request to train him.

"Since you're a true Uzumaki I would have helped you train in fuinjutsu if you had shown an interest regardless of whether or not your guardian spirit had requested it or not," she confessed to the young genin. "Had you not left I before the others were finished I would have asked to confirm your lineage but Hiruzen-kun took care of that for me."

Now Naruto had been training to the point he was able to create storage seals for tools, weapons and chakra and Mito had told him that she would next teach him to create explosive tags and barriers.

Next he thought of his team and their training. Asuma had focused most of their group training on teamwork exercises and a few combat and survival exercises thrown in.

Ino had made a startling turnaround in her attitude after the conversation the three had held while searching for their sensei. She took to training with a fervor that impressed her teammates and Asuma had happily given her pointers for her taijutsu and chakra control. Naruto had considered offering to teach her how to be a ritual shaman, Matamune had explained the different styles of the shamans of old and advised he be on the lookout for anyone with potential.

Sadly, the fact she was heir to the Yamanaka clan made it almost impossible. In order to allow her to learn the arts she would have to join his clan, a movement her father and the rest of her clan would staunchly oppose.

The same problem existed for the genin's other teammate. Heir to his clan with no siblings, Shino would not be able to join his clan either.

The shaman sighed. It seemed he would need to look outside the clans and possibly even the village itself to find others to learn. Speaking of searching he still needed to find a place to set up his own compound, a place that would allow him to be in touch with nature and provided a peaceful place for meditation and practice for the eventual students he would gather. Forcing those thoughts to the back of his mind for the moment Naruto returned his thoughts to his team.

The experiment with Shino had shown some significant results currently, but the fact the insects eventually returned to their host limited the growth his chakra reserves by a significant amount. A sudden idea struck the young blond and he immediately pulled out a scroll and began writing down a message.

When he finished he moved his hand to pick up a leaf from a small pile he'd left piled on his table and summoned one of his little shikigami. The nature spirit hovered just above its summoner's palm, awaiting instruction. Naruto held up the scroll to the little creature. "Please deliver this to the old man," he said. It eagerly grabbed the scroll in its tiny hands and floated out the window, happy to help the young shaman.

The blond watched his messenger until it disappeared from sight Naruto glanced at the clock and realized he needed to get moving if he didn't want to be late. It's just not proper to keep a lady waiting after all. That thought in mind the young shaman turned off his lights and locked his doors before taking to the rooftops once more to make for the Twin Dragons. Tenten's family lived above it for easier access to the shop and more security. _"Would you want to break into a house where the entire first floor is filled with nothing but pointy objects used for killing?" _she'd asked him when he'd asked about it. He had laughed pretty hard after that.

Shaking off the thoughts Naruto dropped down in front of the door and entered to find Kenichi, Tenten's father, at the counter. He was average height with a slim build that betrayed the strength he possessed, Naruto had seen him move heavy objects with practiced ease that bulky men had carried in struggling under the heavy weight. His hair was brown and cut to relative chin length with a few longer strands there as well. His clothing was a sleeveless gray shirt, black cargo pants and thick black boots for when he worked his forge.

"Naruto," the man greeted. "It's good to see you. Tenten told me you'd be coming around to pick her up close to about right now. That's a rather nice outfit by the way."

"Good evening Kenichi-san," Naruto greeted the shop owner. "It's good to see you too. Is Tenten almost ready?"

"You know girls," was the simple reply. "They make you wait, but don't you dare be late at all."

"That's not very nice Daddy," the two males turned to see the subject of their conversation walking down the stairs leading to the living space. She was dressed in an elegant Chinese dress that hugged her figure and had a split in the sides that revealed a decent amount of her supple legs and was colored an emerald green with golden trim. Instead of her usual two buns the girl's brown hair was in a simple braid that reached the point between her shoulder blades. A faint trace of makeup along her eyes and a touch of light pink lipstick were the only extras she had applied and Naruto thought it was perfect.

Kenichi chuckled nervously at having been caught and glanced at the young shaman to see him totally lost in the sight of his daughter. He placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and sent him a meaningful glare that sent images of several different forms of pain flashing through his mind. Getting the message he offered a short respectful nod and turned to address Tenten.

"Are you ready to leave?"

The kunoichi nodded, kissed her father on the cheek and turned to walk at her date's side. Naruto offered her his arm, which she graciously accepted and the two began to stroll down the street.

Almost instantly Tenten became aware of the glares focused around her blond companion and she realized they were whispering things between themselves. Focusing a small portion of chakra to her ears she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Looks like the demon found himself a whore."

"Do you think it's forcing her? Or did she seduce him?"

She glanced at Naruto and saw the frown marring his features, the only evidence that he'd heard the whispers. She was about to answer but froze when his hand snapped out, catching a rock that had been aimed at her face, quickly crushing it in his fingers. "I think a change of scenery is in order Ten-chan," he said, wrapping a hand around the girl's waist and using the shunshin to take them to the Hokage Mountain, appearing atop the Yondaime's head.

He separated himself from her and stepped forward, his gaze focused on the village below. His posture was rigid, the conflict evident in his expression and the girl waited, knowing he would make a decision given time. Her patience proved rewarding when he sighed and turned to face her again.

"Tenten-chan, there's…I need to tell you something. It's something you should know if we actually intend to make this serious between us."

Tenten nodded, remaining where she stood and waiting for Naruto to continue.

"You know the stories of the demon that attacked our village? The Kyuubi?"

**And Cut!**

**Yes, I did it, I cut it off there. Mostly it was because I was starting to get blocked. Sorry about that by the way, anyway tell me what you think. Hope you enjoyed it.**

**Kabuto's redemption and a few thoughts for later on who gets with Naruto is pretty much all I covered. Next time, the mission to Nami begins.**

**Until next time, yurei king signing out!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Inspiration struck me and I ended up dishing this little beauty out in about 24 hours. Hope you all like it, many thanks to Kamen Rider Arashi yet again. Also, at the bottom is my newest update on the harem, many will be disappointed but politics played a lot into this so please understand. I have a better explanation down there so please read that.**

**On with the Chapter!**

"Do you think it will work?" Naruto asked. He was staring at the object he had spent the last week trying to perfect. It had taken most of the first day to procure the necessary materials for the project and then it was several attempts of trial and error before he managed to find the right placement for his sealing formulae. All things considered, he thought it was good for a first attempt.

"I believe it will hold up to the initial trials," Mito Uzumaki commented from her place at her pupil's side. "I must say while I was interested by your notion I am now eager to see the results myself."

The two were standing in the kitchen of Naruto's apartment, looking at the subject of their scrutiny with great interest. On the table in front of them sat what would appear at first glance to be simple armor for the chest and both arms. However, the inside of the armor was engraved with a complex array of fuinjutsu that the former Uzumaki matriarch and the aspiring clan head had toiled over to ensure the accuracy of each line of writing.

The armor itself appeared to be metal chest piece with a hole located where the sternum would be. The arms consisted of light-weight pauldrons connected to an arm guards by thin sleeves of interlaced netting that glowed with the seals engraved onto them, and fingerless gauntlets similar to a samurai's. On the table next to the armor was an orb that glowed with a soft blue light.

The seals were a combination of what Mito described as chakra storage and absorption seals. The storage seals were located at each pectoral, the naval, shoulder, elbow and wrist. Connecting each seal was a string of kanji that were designed to absorb only the trace amounts of chakra a human body produces subconsciously and siphon them into the storage seals.

"Well," Naruto said, clapping his hands together in finality. "We'll find out soon enough just how well it works because I'm meeting my team in just an hour. I'll show Shino and see what he says."

"Then you best get ready," Mito said, eliciting a nod from the shaman as he stepped into his room to change into his daily attire. He returned shortly, sealing the armor into a scroll and slipping it into his pocket before taking draping his white poncho over himself and slipping on his straw sandals.

"I'll see you later Mito-sama," he said. The matriarch nodded with a small smile as she watched him slip through the door and out of sight.

"He's growing to be quite powerful isn't he?" She looked over her shoulder to see her husband and brother-in-law standing there. Matamune was also present, peering at the notes littering the counter.

"Powerful and intelligent," the nekomata mused. "He is only missing experience."

"We've trained him as best we can," Hashirama said, frowning in thought. "Regardless of the fact we could really only train his stealth and chakra control until he matures he has grown quite skilled with the abilities he has already obtained."

Tobirama nodded, his arms crossed as he pondered his comment before speaking. "He has learned to handle the sword techniques of the samurai and the spear techniques of the warrior to a degree that would make him mid to high chunin at worst and the taijutsu style of the fighter is most interesting and unpredictable. However, I fear the spirits themselves will not push him to the furthest extent possible."

"What do you mean brother?"

"I sense that he is not meant to fight with them," the Nidaime Hokage said. "Perhaps they are meant to serve others that will fight beside him in the future."

All eyes turned to Matamune as he silently continued to read the notes, seemingly unaware of them. So long was his pause that they considered asking him directly only for him to voice his answer at the last second.

"It is true," he said, turning to face them. "Not one of the three has been able to achieve a full unity with Naruto-dono. Fear not, I have already discussed this with them only a few days ago and a solution has been decided on."

"May we ask what the solution is Matamune-san," Mito asked, curious about the progress of her student.

The nekomata sighed, taking another pull on his pipe. "I think it would be best to wait before we are sure it will work before I inform you. So as not to get anyone's hopes up more than necessary."

The shinobi looked tempted to press the matter but nodded instead. They could understand his reasoning, they had all experimented with their techniques in order to better understand them, that was mainly how Hashirama had mastered his Mokuton, since it was unique only to him it had taken a great deal of trial and error to harness it to its fullest capacity.

"Very well," the Shodaime Hokage said. "We will trust in your judgment. You are the expert on the subject so for now I say we let things go their allotted course until such time is required that we step in."

The others agreed and then left to go about their business. Matamune watched them leave before setting out himself, he had a new student awaiting him. His thoughts turned to Kabuto and a new issue made itself known. Normally it was required that a ghost exist for quite some time to gain experience in knowledge of its spiritual power in order to form a proper oversoul. This means either he must summon Faust and his wife from the Great Spirit, or find an alternate spirit. His mother was an accomplished medic and would still wish to stay with the boy, but in order to fight effectively he would need more than just the unity skill.

'_I must consult Hao's teachings,' _he thought. '_There may be something written in the book that I might have missed.'_

**Training Ground 7:**

When Naruto stepped out of the trees surrounding the training field he found an interesting sight. Shino was facing off against Asuma in a purely taijutsu spar while Ino had taken a seat at the base of a tree, a book in her hands and a small pile at her side.

Normally he'd begun to expect seeing her cheering on Shino as they fought but now he saw even when she wasn't training she was taking things seriously. Making sure to let his steps be loud enough she could tell he was nearby, the blond shaman approached his teammate and sat down next to her.

"What are you reading Ino?"

"A book on chakra control," she answered, turning the page as she answered. "I did some research and I found out that during the last war a suggestion was made to have at least one member of each team trained in medical ninjutsu. It was shot down even though being more likely to cut down on casualties due to how long it would take but since we're not at war I thought it'd be a good idea to learn a few just in case."

"That's a good idea," Naruto said, pleased with her initiative. "Shino and I aren't exactly the finesse types; well I'm more into destroying it all while Shino just tactfully wipes out the competition. We could use a medic and with your chakra control you'd be perfect for it."

The heir to the Yamanaka clan looked up long enough to offer him a smile of gratitude before returning to her studies. He looked up to see that the spar had ended and rose to his feet once more. "I'll leave you to it I guess, I have to discuss something with Shino real quick."

Ino nodded, almost completely absorbed in her reading and Naruto approached the last two members of the team.

"Naruto-san," the Aburame clan heir greeted the blond with a nod. "Are you ready to continue the experiment?"

Naruto grinned and shook his head. "Actually I have something else in mind," he said, pulling out the scroll and unsealing the armor. At his teammate's inquiring stare the blond elaborated. "I made this armor with a special seal formula. It absorbs and stores extra chakra you expel naturally, that way it isn't wasted and lets it out slowly. I've filled the seals with my chakra to give it a headstart that way when the insects start feeding from it your chakra will be serving to keep the tank full. Want to try it out?"

Intrigued the heir nodded, raising his hands to unzip his jacket. He let it fall to the ground behind him, revealing the short-sleeved mesh shirt he wore beneath the thick article of clothing. With a little help from the shaman and Asuma the armor was properly set in place.

"How does it fell?" Naruto asked, pulling out a small black notebook and a pen.

"It fits well," Shino answered. "I believe I now know why you requested my sizes. However, my insects cannot extract the chakra from the storage seals."

Naruto nodded and jotted down a few notes before pulling out the crystal orb. "That's because this is required to activate the armor," he said, stepping forward to place it into the cavity in the chest. The moment it was set in place the orb flashed a bright sapphire blue, slowly dimming down to its original pale blue. As it did so the insect user felt his insects moving to the top of his skin, attempting to reach the armor.

Once they managed to touch it he was sent back messages of them being successful in extracting the chakra. He silently requested knowledge on how much chakra was in the system and almost gasped in shock when they said there were more than Asuma's full reserves locked inside those seals, not even mentioning the crystal.

"This armor has three purposes Shino," Naruto said, gaining his team's attention. "The first is that of normal armor, to successfully guard your vital organs and has been reinforced with strengthening seals in order to do so. Next is the storage of your extra chakra your hive can feed on, allowing your own reserves freedom to grow. The third and final use is that of a recharger during battle. Should you find yourself drained simply press your palm against the focus crystal and twist it counterclockwise. This will put all the chakra stored inside the armor into your body, refilling your reserves and leaving you fresh and ready for round two."

Shino and Asuma stared at the boy, speechless at such a feat. He had practically eradicated the Aburame clan's greatest weakness, they're reduced chakra levels.

'_Fuinjutsu,' _the former Shinobi Guardian thought with a smirk. '_That skill plus this kid's imagination would make him a th__reat in the future. Add in his skills with a sword and spear, not to mention the shaman thing and this guy will be a legend on the levels of Itachi in a few short years. Heck, he'd probably give the Sannin trouble if he keeps this up.'_

Oblivious to his sensei's thoughts, Naruto started examining how the armor fit on Shino, mumbling to himself as he stepped around the silent Aburame and writing notes in his little book. "Alright," he said. "This is a prototype. We'll see how things work with this and then I'll make some modifications where it's necessary."

Shino nodded and replaced his coat, adjusting it to fit the newest addition to his wardrobe. '_I might need a larger coat,' _he mused before once again nodding in thanks to the shaman.

"Well team," Asuma called, making sure to be loud enough to pull Ino from her book. "Time to go to the Hokage, we've done enough D-ranked missions so how about we get ourselves a little time away from the village?"

He chuckled at the cheer from his two blond students while Shino nodded, stoic as ever. "Then let's get going." The trio fell in behind their sensei and as one Team Seven set off for the Hokage Mansion, taking to the rooftops as soon as they reached the main part of the village. They landed in the courtyard just outside of the tower and entered the main door, entering a room with a large table along the far wall where Hiruzen could be seen sitting, reading a scroll while Iruka two other chunin were sorting through some papers.

The group looked up at the sound of the door opening and the elder shinobi smiled warmly as he saw who had stepped in. "Ah, Asuma. How are you my boy?"

"I'm well father," he answered, taking the cigarette from his lips. "I'm here to get a C-rank mission for my team."

"Oh, finally ready to get them out into the real world?"

"That's right."

"Well then, I've got one that just came in," Hiruzen looked to one of the shinobi sitting to his left. "Bring in Tazuna," he instructed. The chunin nodded and left, returning shortly with a civilian behind him.

He was an older man, tanned, worn skin with a scruffy beard. He was dressed in work clothes with a straw hat hanging behind his head from the strap around his neck and a heavy pack on his back. In his left hand he carried a bottle of alcohol and even at that early in the morning looked well on his way to being wasted.

"So this is the best you'll give me," he grumbled. "Three brats that don't look anything like shinobi?"

Asuma chuckled when he saw his students tense at such an insult. "I'd be careful who you insult old man," he said. "These students of mine are more than they look and you would do better to remember shinobi are trained to kill at a young age. You shouldn't have anything to worry about that they can't handle. If by some chance you do then I'll be there to help them."

His smile turned into a frown and he crossed his arms. "You don't doubt the skills of a jonin do you?"

The old man grumbled and took a swig of his drink. "Alright then, my name is Tazuna. I'm the super bridge builder of Nami no Kuni and your job is to escort me back home and then guard me until my newest project is complete."

Asuma nodded and turned to his team. "Alright, you heard him. Pack for three weeks and meet at the gates tomorrow morning at 0730. Understood?"

"Yes sensei," the three genin responded.

"Dismissed."

The three nodded and departed, each to their respective destinations. Shino was off to the Aburame compound, Ino headed for the Yamanaka Flower shop and Naruto was heading for…the market district. He landed in front of the Shinobi Gear and Weapons store and slipped entered to find Tenten standing behind the counter once again.

"Naruto-kun," she called, coming around to catch the boy in a hug. Ever since they'd had the date a week before the two had officially decided to become a couple. They took it slow, no more than a couple of dates and holding hands really. Neither of them had much experience in interacting with the opposite sex in any matter not official business thus they kept the pace light and decided to see how things progressed. "You stop by to see me or are you shopping?"

"I'm here to see you actually," Naruto answered, happily returning the embrace. "Asuma-sensei got us a C-rank today. I'm leaving tomorrow morning."

The two separated, she returning to the counter while he stood across from her. "How long?"

"A couple of weeks. We're guarding a bridge builder while he's doing his newest project. I'm mostly ready to go so I thought you might want to go on one last date before I left."

Tenten shook her head sadly. "Sorry Naruto-kun, but I've got training with my team after my mom comes back from buying some food."

"It's fine," the blond reassured his girlfriend. "We're shinobi; things don't always go the way we want them to. I better get going then; I have some packing to do."

"I thought you said you were ready."

"Double checking and all, don't want to show up in Nami and not have something important after all." The two hugged one last time and then Naruto set off, eager to prepare for his mission. When he stepped into his apartment it was to find a sight he was definitely not expecting, Kabuto and his mother were both sitting on his couch while Matamune was seated on top of his coffee table in front of them.

"Ah, Naruto-san," the former spy for Orochimaru said, rising to his feet to greet the shaman. "I'm sorry to intrude but Matamune-san requested we speak with you."

"It's no trouble," Naruto assured him, quickly making two clones with instructions to prepare for the mission while he was busy. "Tell me, what is so important?"

"It is regarding Kabuto and his mother," the nekomata said. "We have an issue due to the fact Nono has not fully matured as a spirit to the point she is capable of being used as an Oversoul. While she may be allowed to be with her son, she will not be able to assist him in battle."

"Then what do we do?"

"…There are two I can think of that would be capable of bringing out his full potential, both as a shaman and as a medical practitioner," Matamune said, smoking his pipe as he carefully considered his next words. "The only problem is that they are both within the Great Spirit and will most likely not feel too pleased about being summoned back to the land of the living."

Naruto frowned. "Who are they?"

"I once mentioned a former teammate of my former master, Yoh Asakura. He was a brilliant physician who wielded his wife, Eliza in battle. While still a young spirit, Eliza's love for him was strong enough and his own power was potent enough that when combined they created a powerful pair. I do not doubt your love as mother and child Nono, but while powerful as a shinobi Kabuto has too much left to learn before he can team up with you."

The former spy nodded her expression one of regret and acceptance. Kabuto sighed, frustration evident in his posture but Naruto knew he was still happy she would be able to stay with him at least.

"See if you can summon one or both of them," he said. "Ask them if they will help him. If they agree then train him to at least reach full unity. I have a mission in Nami no Kuni so I'll be gone for a few weeks." He turned to address Kabuto. "I'll test you when I get back. We'll see where you stand then and then go from there."

"Am I to understand that you wish for me to remain in Konohagakure, Naruto-dono?" the neko asked, to which Naruto nodded in response. "Very well. Be sure not to slack off in your own training as well. You might find Kabuto being ahead of you in that area as well if you don't remain vigilant."

The red-streaked blond smirked as he turned to enter his room. "No need to worry about that," he called back. "I have no intention of letting the _second _student get ahead of me." His final words said, Naruto stepped into his room and dressed for bed. He lay down on the mattress, staring at the ceiling until he felt sleep drawing in. As he slipped into the land of dreams his final thoughts was a simple question. _'Kabuto, Tenten and I are the first three…I wonder who else will be joining this new clan.'_

**And Cut!**

**Alright, so here is the harem as it stands so far:**

**Tenten, Haku, Anko, Shizune and Samui**

**Now, many will probably wonder why not Ino, Hinata, Sakura or Jun along with a great multitude of others so I will explain why for each one and then why not for a few others.**

**Tenten: she is a lover of weapons and also does not come from a clan. The plan is to make each of his wives a shaman and she would work well with Bason. Plus she is a determined girl who isn't scared to whack him on the back of the head if he does something stupid. (Same goes for Anko)**

**Haku: simply put, I have a special plan for her I don't think anyone will guess. Try to think of something less obvious than what people have already asked me. Also, like Tenten she doesn't come from a clan in Konoha and is entrusted to Naruto by Zabuza himself**

**Anko: Pick one. Pariah, outcast, fellow in pain, rebel. Also, I plan to have her working with a very particular area of shaman techniques.**

**Shizune: She's smart and I want to pull out her inner sadist in regards to training. Also, imagine she's like the Captain of Squad 4 in Bleach, beautiful and kind but that smile of hers can also instill great fear in those who gain her ire.**

**Samui: Cool headed, disciplined and a talented kunoichi. She would do well with a disciplined samurai.**

**Now, as for Ino, Hinata and Sakura: For the first two, politics. Plain and simple. Neither of their clans want to give up there heir (Hinata will gain confidence and trump her sister, she just won't be with Naruto)**

**Sakura…I just don't like her. Not in the first half anyway, and unless I do something while they're on the same team then there isn't much I can do to pull her away from it either.**

**As for Jun, I can't see her with anyone but Lee, sorry. **

**Hope that answered enough questions. The harem has not been finalized, meaning I could add more later on, but these girls will be the leaders of their art. Each will later take students and their children will learn to use their art as well. **

**Also, care to try and guess what the solution is?**

**See y'all next time, yurei king signing out.**


End file.
